


all the stars you couldn't see

by succubused



Category: NieR: Automata (Video Game), 전지적 독자 시점 - 싱숑 | Omniscient Reader - Sing-Shong
Genre: Alternate Universe, Gen, genuinely i dont know what to tag this as its a nier automata au. thats all there is to say really
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-11
Updated: 2020-07-11
Packaged: 2021-03-04 23:28:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 17,476
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25204726
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/succubused/pseuds/succubused
Summary: Analysis: The OS of Unit 1H seems to be running a postmortem protocol.Alert: Receiving data from a corrupted unit will almost certainly result in corruption.Proposal: Do not accept the data transfer.He looked down. He was still holding 1H’s hands.“...Accept the transfer.”A bright flash of light and color, and then everything went dark.Commencing system check.…Foreign encryption detected.Run de-encryption routine?--RUNRunning……De-encrypted data is compatible with unit 7L.In which 7L (Kim Dokja) has to collect some misplaced memories & a certain combat model makes it difficult.
Relationships: Han Sooyoung & Kim Dokja, Kim Dokja & Shin Yoosung, Kim Dokja/Yoo Jonghyuk, only kdj and yjh is romantic obviously
Comments: 24
Kudos: 107





	1. i knew you would come for me

**Author's Note:**

> in order to make this more accessible for people who might not have played nier automata, I'm going to post a few of the characters' android types here. some of them are left out as they're spoilers (for now).
> 
> 7L - Kim Dokja  
> 12R - Jeong Heewon  
> 3I - Shin Yoosung  
> 6I - Lee Gilyoung  
> type-H - Yoo Junghyeok  
> 4P - Yoo Sangah  
> 22F - Han Sooyoung  
> 19G - Lee Hyunsung

“What’s this?”

_ Searching database for matching entry. _

Gingerly, as if he expected it to self-destruct at any moment, 7L crept towards the corpse. A sword was embedded to the hilt in its chest.

_ No matching entry found _ .

“None, huh?” 7L folded his arms and stared. He hated when they were familiar. YorHa models were always familiar. Especially when they were dead.

_ Analysis: Combat android. Type H▢▢▢▢. _

Type H? 7L frowned. He didn’t know of any type H. He let his eyes unfocus for a moment, searching. Nothing in the archives.

Strange...still, not unheard of. Often the records of discontinued models ended up being scrubbed. Annoying security reasons. He rolled his eyes.

_ Analysis: Android took its own life. _

The dead android was on his knees, slumped forward over the sword. The way his hands were pressed together...almost like he was—

_ light stained by glass windows color on the floor color on the face of a man who claims to know where it ends color where it shouldn’t be light where it shouldn’t be, eyes where they shouldn’t be light and color and blood on the cathedral floor on the _

—praying. He almost looked like he was praying.

7L tilted his head, considering.

“Scan the sword.”

_ No matching entry found. _

He snorted, unsurprised. “Of course not.”

_ Proposal: Wait for unit 5C before engaging with unknown quantities. _

“I can handle it.”

_ Proposal— _

“Declined.”

The pod fell silent. 7L suppressed a smirk. Of course, pods couldn’t sulk.

Still.

The unit’s hands were rusted around the sword’s hilt, frozen where he had gripped it for the final time. Even in death, he had formidable strength. It took 7L nearly ten minutes of tugging and cursing before he finally managed to yank the blade free. He fell back onto the stage, sword skittering to the side with a clatter.

“You just had to make me work for it.”

He glared at the dead android. The dead android continued to stare at the ground. At least, 7L had to imagine he was staring. He still had his blindfold on.

_ (entry 2 of 4) : to cause (someone) to be unable to see : to make (someone) blind. : to cause (someone) to be unable to see for a short time. : to cause (someone) to be unable to think clearly or to act reasonably _

“Bastard.”

_ Alert: Deceased androids are incapable of processing auditory input. _

“You’re a bastard too,” he told the pod. “Maybe you’d have got along with this guy.”

_ Alert— _

“Shhh.” 7L patted the pod gently.

_ Proposal: Unit 7L requires recalibration. _

“Sure. Just scan the dead guy.”

As soon as he gave the command, he recoiled with a shout of pain. He clutched his head.

“Stop—stop, stop, abort!”

_ Alert: Deceased unit’s data has been heavily corrupted. Download is not advised. _

“I noticed, thank you.” 

_ the  _ **_logic virus_ ** _ targets all processing routines and can affect  _ **_combat_ ** _ models as well as  _ **_tactical_ ** _ and  _ **_support_ ** _ m _

7L rubbed his temples. “Can’t you turn that off?”

_ Alert: Disconnecting the database will result in the death of unit 7L. _

“...Ugh.”

Useless, when he couldn’t perform basic functions. Corrupted data. The most annoying enemy of all. He would take any number of Goliath classes over corrupted data. At least Goliaths were susceptible to blunt force trauma.

Was it right to call it trauma if it was just a machine? 7L didn’t know. He hadn’t really given it much thought. Maybe he should work it out when he got back. It would likely be a good data point to have on hand.

“You’re making my job hard,” he told the dead android irritably. 

The dead android said nothing.

“Unbelievable…” He shook his head and glanced towards the gleaming sword still lying on the stage. “What about his weapon, then?”

7L reached for the sword. It was beautiful, he thought. He hadn’t seen many black blades before. Only the older models carried them. 

_ Downloading weapon data. _

He sighed in relief. So it wasn’t a total waste, after all. He waited a moment for the combat routines and weapon information to find their places in the database before opening the files.

_ Database entry: Skybreaker _

“Skybreaker?” 

He hadn’t heard of a sword like this before. Come to think of it, he had never seen material this dark used for a combat blade before either. He tried lifting it. The sword was heavy.

_ Type: Longsword _

_ Attack: Heavy _

...That would by why.

_ Weapon Ability: Evasive System _

7L smiled. That was a good one.

_ Weapon Story: NO DATA FOUND _

Strange. He glanced at the dead android. Usually there was at least a level 1…

_ To Level 1: Type-H OS Chip (0/1) _

To Level 1? Did that mean this was a Level 0 weapon? 

He frowned and lifted it again. The stats were quite good. Evasive systems could save your skin, so long as you had a solid Overclock chip installed. The attack and defense weren’t bad, either. His current blade was level 3, and only a few points stronger.

“...Wait.”

Type-H OS Chip…

_ Alert: Removing the OS chip from a corrupted unit— _

“Yeah, yeah, I know,” 7L grumbled. It wasn’t an option. Annoying, though, to have the impossible solution within arm’s reach. 

7L stared at the dead android. Considering how heavily rusted he was, there should have been more external damage, but he seemed to have had a formidable physical constitution. The tightly buckled black armor was heavily damaged but still intact, though the velvet coat underneath appeared badly frayed. 

_ Alert: Deceased unit’s armor is likely still functional. _

Tactically, it would make sense to take it. 7L pursed his lips. He wasn’t certain why the idea felt repulsive. Maybe he did need recalibration.

Cautiously, he approached the dead android. He crouched down until he was at eye level. He was close enough now to see the blood and oil matting the android’s hair, the tears in his coat and the wounds covering his body. He had suffered a great deal before he died.

_ Alert: Removing a YorHa unit’s visor is prohibited. _

“I know,” 7L murmured, without looking up.

_ Alert: Removing a YorHa unit’s visor is prohibited. _

“Cut the feed for thirty seconds.”

_ Alert: Cutting the data feed is prohibited. _

“Well, override that.”

_ Enter administrator override. _

7L winced. Technically he didn’t have the administrator override. He just knew how to short out his own system in a way that mimicked one. And it hurt. He preferred not to unless it was necessary.

“...”

_ Administrator override accepted. _

He hesitated, hand hovering over the clasp of the dead android’s blindfold for a moment before releasing it. It floated to the ground, nothing more than a scrap of black fabric. 7L breathed in sharply. 

The dead type-H’s face...how long had he gone without repairing himself? Why?

_ Alert: Physical contact with a corrupted unit is not advised. _

7L took the dead android’s chin in one hand. Gently he lifted the head until he could see the expression clearly.

_ Alert: Physical contact with a corrupted unit is not advised. _

He had been wrong to assume the unit was staring. The eyes were closed, lips curved slightly upwards. This android died with a smile on his face.

“...What happened to you?”

_ Alert: Cease physical contact with corrupted unit to prevent exposure. _

He almost looked smug.

_ Alert: Data feed will resume in 00:05. _

7L released the android’s face and slowly pushed himself to his feet. 

“I’ll leave it off for you,” he said softly. “Thanks for the sword.”

Quickly he turned away before the feed resumed. He crept back through the empty theater alone, picking his way through broken plywood and moldy carpets. There was no more data to retrieve here, anyway. He might as well go back and wait for 5C.

At the entrance, he paused, one hand resting on the heavy double doors. He could smell smoke coming from somewhere outside. Wasn’t unusual. Machines overheated all the time. They were imperfect, after all.

7L closed his eyes. The fist that had clenched tight around his stomach released.

“...Pod 004.”

The pod turned towards him expectantly. He glanced back towards the theater’s heart, where the dead type-H still knelt onstage. He couldn’t quite remember what the face had looked like.

“Place a marker on this location.”

_ Marker placement successful. _

7L nodded. He pushed the front doors open, and stepped out into the dusty sunlight.

It wasn’t until after returning to base that he noticed the birthmark.

“What’s that?”

3I cocked her head curiously, staring at his arm. A large black squirrel clung to her shoulder.

It was strange, 7L thought. He hadn’t seen a squirrel in months. They were meant to be extinct in this region. 

_ (family Sciuridae), generally, any of the 50 genera and 268 species of rodents whose common name is derived from the Greek skiouros, meaning “shade tail,” which describes one of the _

7L shook his head quickly and the database entry faded from view. “Where did you find that?”

“She found me,” 3I said proudly. The squirrel watched 7L with bright eyes.

“Don’t let it chew through your circuits.”

“She’s a girl. And she won’t.”

3I pouted. 

_ Proposal: Unit 3I relies too heavily on praise from unit 7L. _

7L sighed. “Did you call—her?”

The small android’s expression brightened. “I was testing the range of the homing signal.”

“So you don’t know where she came from?”

“Nope!”

3I’s pod floated at her side, looking as helpless as it could in the absence of a face. It was a little funny to look at. Well, if it annoyed the pods…

“That’s quite impressive, 3I.”

_ Proposal: Unit 7L requires recalibration. _

3I beamed.

_ Database entry: YorHa Unit 3I.  _

_ Type: I (Interpreter - Mammalian) _

_ Class: Tactical _

_ Current status: No errors detected. _

At least she hadn’t got into too much trouble while he was gone. Knowing 3I, it could have been something much bigger. It was true that she had a remarkable gift for small animals, but she was still a new unit, and prone to biting off far more than she could chew.

“I don’t want to have to come save you from another boar,” 7L told her. “So be careful.”

“You didn’t even answer me…”

“Answer what?”

3I pointed wordlessly at his arm, where a shimmering line of discoloration had appeared. 7L blinked in surprise. He hadn’t noticed until he took off his coat…how long had it been there?

“It’s only heat damage,” he said dismissively. “I got too close to a burst radiator. That’s all.”

3I blinked at him. She seemed worried. 7L patted her lightly on the head.

“I’ll get it looked at. Keep an eye on that squirrel, hm?”

_ Alert: Unit 7L has not sustained heat damage. _

7L rolled his eyes as he entered the deserted stairwell. 

Luckily, YorHa had set up in the ruins of what was once a large hotel, and it was easy to find an empty room. The rotting wood creaked ominously under his feet.

_ Alert: The fifth floor of this facility has not yet been reinforced. Entrance is not advised.  _

“You say that every time,” 7L grunted. “Close the door behind me.”

The rusted latch clicked into place. It was a sound 7L knew well. Reluctantly, he glanced down at his arm.

It didn’t make sense. Birthmarks were a data artifact. Discolorations that displayed records of an android’s prior deaths. They were there from the beginning. They were meant to work as—he wasn’t quite sure. Warnings? Reminders of your failures? Some ill-advised mark of ownership over the past?

He stared. It was only a thin line across his bicep. Hardly enough to kill him. Let alone the fact that 7L had never died.

“Maybe…”

Slowly, he lifted his undershirt.

“Shit.”

_ Searching for data… _

The bright line stretched across his torso at an angle, cutting his body in two.

_ No matching data found. _

“I think I’d remember if I’d been ripped in half.”

_ Proposal: Wound data suggests a blade. _

“...or sliced.”

7L touched the birthmark—

—a horrified face—

  
  
  


Ĥ̵̱̟͈̩̲͚̳̩̼̦͖͙͎͙͎̩̱͉͚̋̃̌͒̉̈̅̔̾̍̑̅̉̃͋̀̋͊̔̕̕͝ͅA̵̛̺̙͕͖̟͕̹̹͙̣͉͓̭̹̣̫̘̩͊̈́̈͊̔̌͂͒̋̍̓̄̍̆̋̂̈́́͊̿̑͗͋̈́͌͑̒̒͆̏͝͝͠R̶̛̲̞͓͎̘̹̘̱͕̗̼̣͖͈͙̯̺͍͓̹̙̪͕̹̘̞̫̀̈́̉̀͋̑͌͌͒̓̾̽̒̈́̐͋̾͌̉̿̚̚͝͝ͅͅB̷̧̡̟͚̟̺̥͇̺͉͖̜̰͙̣͚̞̣̤̦͙͕̞̻̥͈͔̳̝̮̬̳̫̯̜͗̅̒͒̈́͂Į̵̳͙̖̭̼̮̩̱͉͉͈̳̰̤̃̂͆̈́̀͒̒͑̆̾͆̈́̓̈́͆͗͘N̶̢̢̢̞̪͙͇̣͇̖̘̠̻̺̪̩̟̖͉͙̖͕͙̞͕̝͈̗̟̲̙̪͇͖̟̜̘̒̅̇̇͒̐͋͛̂̌͜ͅG̸̨̧̻̥̺͍̫̹̣̥̩̹͂͐͐Ę̷̢̣̠͕̫̝͍̩͖͈͖̗̬̯͉͈̝͓͍̖̹̭̳͉͎̭̣̹̩͖͒̐̂̃͐̂̉̋̽̑̆͂̔̒͌̉̔͐̒͜͜͠͝͝ͅͅͅͅŖ̵̢̹̮̖͈̜̗̦͔̪͙͕̹͎̪̘̯̫̜͓̭̺̭̖̪͍̩̩̱̆͂͛̔̓̓̇̓͐͊̄̍͑̔̈́̔̎͌̕̚͜͜͠͝ͅ ̵̢̙̦͍̠̲̤̂͒̌̅̾̑͑̑͗̇̓͗̔̒̌̉͌̇̀͂͋͛̔͆͘͝Ở̷̢̧̨̛̥͔͔̬̹̠̗͓̠̪̩͔͉̟̺͉̣͎͚̫̼̖̟̱͖̮̺̏͌͐͊̄̾̆͌́̔̒̃̿͆͂͘͜F̷̨̺͓͖̫̥̪̭̦̬̲̳̮̜̰͎̮̃͗̀͋͛̓͐͆́̓̃̿̔̎̕̕͜͝͝͝F̸̨̨̧̡̧̼͉̳̣͇͇̠̦̬̳̮̱͉̣͈͈͇̟͙̺̙͈̣̯̘̼̝̦̾̓͌̓̈̍̊̃̊̌̄̿̊̋͂͋̐̓͋̈́͐̍̑̕̕͠ͅL̶̢̨̨̛̦̫̙̭͉̺̦͎̳̫̟̮̂̂̃̈́̈́͌̽̈́͒̚͝͠I̶̡͖̎̀̇̆̔̓̈́̄͗̅͐͑̾̅̂̏̆͗̉̃̈́̉͒̆͘͜͝N̷̢̨̹̪̤̗̜̘̖̼͈͔͎͔͚̞͍̼̩̰̒̾͆̐̀̓̌̓̃̍̇̎̏̄̆͑́͂̾̾̇̓͛̈́͐̊̉͘̕̚̚͜͝Ḝ̷̢̢̛͖̱͔̖͔̲͈̬͔̤̩̝̣̩̣̗͇́̿͋̒̋̈́͛̓͋̿͂̏̊͌͗̃͑͊͛̒̄̄̊̑̚̚͝͠

W̷̡̼̹̲̤̟̦̹͎͌̉͂͒̎̓̄̈̈̇̆́̄͘H̸̛͈̮̹̪͇̻͙̝͓̙͉̻̝̟͒̓̒̎̾̋͒̍̓̂̈́͌̉̈́̿͛̔̅̆͛̿̈́̈̈́̐̚̕̚ͅŶ̸̮̺͉̟͍͌͂͆͂̊̌̅̿͊̅͜͝ ̷̰̪͓̺̤̻͎̫̤͉̟͉̿̽̿͑͒̍͐̿̓̃͌̚͜W̴̛̳͎͍̬̳̰̘͊̓̐͋͛͌̈́̇̌̈́͆̈̎̐͒̍̚͘͠͝͝͝͝Ḩ̷̛̛̼̘͕͙̺̜̰̱͙̪̐͐̅̅̃̇̋̋͋̂͆̇̓͑͛̊̋̆̈́̇͑̌̄̆̽̊͗̆̄̈̕͜͝͝Ȳ̶̛͙̰̿͋̎͑̊̂̾͛͑͂͐̄̈́̆̒͆͑̒̊̆͒̾͘͝͠ ̷̪̿̑͑̿̇͝͝W̶̛͎̞͎̳̰̞̲̣̣̫̜͍̺͈̯̼̥͑̀̐͌̋̓̑̊̊͋̉̄̂̈́͗̆͝͠͝ͅH̶̢̢̧̨͔̞̦̬̣̥͙̜͖̳̻̻̳̝̙̤̥̭̮̦̘̘̗̹̄̇̍̀̓̔́̓͊̈́̃͐͒̈́͋̽̀̓̒͊̀̑͌̎͗̓̑͘͝͝ͅŸ̵̡̢͖̼̠̘͈̣̝̲̮́̈́̋̆͊̆̄̎͋̂̓̌͘͝ͅ ̵̧̩̩̜̖̩̥̀̆͐͒̐W̵̢̛̛̛͕̼̬̘̘̼̯̼̏̿́̒̔̈̽̈́̀̓̐̉̄̈̌̉́̒̓͌́̽̂̿͊̄̐͘̚̚͠͝͝͝H̷̢̧̛̛̘̬̰̞̟͚̞̳̝̬̪̬̗͉͇̭̹͔̗͗̉̋̈̈́̑̈́͐̽͆̎͑̀̄͆̋͂̓̎̚͜͜͠ͅȲ̴̛̛̙̞̂̍̌̓̿͋̇̽͋̐̑͑̈́̌͋̄̍̋̈́͊̾̇̉̇̌̎̌̍̄͘̕͝͝ ̵̢̛͔̼̮̫̞͎̟̙̳͍̣̲̝͂̂̓̆̾̂̽́̂̾͒̇͘͘͘͝͝͠W̷̢̨̡̧̠͚̞̝͔̼͈̝̥͙̣͓̳͓̩̠̦̞̙̣̟̱̻̰͈̬̔̿̎͒̆̉̍͐͌͐̓͂̎̈́͂̑̓̐̓̃͋̿̄͒̄͒̆̈̅̅̀͘͜͝͠͝͝ͅH̶̨̛̼̣͈̜̠̫͈̰̹̥̻̲̹͉̞̞̺̪̾͂̾̄̉͒̍̆̌̆̎̕ͅY̶̧̢̝̻̬͙̣͚̟̲͕͎̪̦̫͍̱̜̱̺̻̫̟̙̪̠͂͋͒̀̅̈́͛̾̐͂̉̿̚̚̕͜͜ͅͅͅ

  
  
  


—bright bright burst of pain—

—he staggered back with a gasp.

_ Alert: A marker has been added to the map. _

“Show me,” 7L said breathlessly.

He stared at the plain blue square hovering over the pixelated desert. It seemed to be somewhere near the oil fields.

_ Alert: Accepting unauthorized objectives is not advised. _

It did seem like a trick the machine network would find amusing. 7L shifted his grip on the Skybreaker sword. Why was he holding it?

He glanced through the dirty window at the courtyard below. A familiar silhouette stalked along the path. 5C was covered in copious amounts of machine oil, but very little blood.

“Set the waypoint.”

_ Unit 7L is not currently configured for combat. _

_ Unit 7L is not currently cleared for solo missions. _

“I know. Set the waypoint.”

_ Waypoint set successfully. _

The oil fields felt softer at night.

Naturally, the sun no longer set. The sky was as bright as ever. Still, 7L looked at the rusty watch hooked around his wrist and smiled.

“It’s almost midnight.”

_ … _

For once, Pod 004 had nothing to say. 7L glanced around. He had been expecting—he wasn’t sure what he had been expecting. Some sort of ambush. At the very least, a few machines trying to take his head off.

But the oil’s surface was undisturbed. 7L looked closer. At the pool’s edge, a lone shape was hunched over as if in pain.

An android?

_ Proposal: Unit 7L should proceed with caution _ .

“What, you worried now?” 

It was an odd way to send a distress signal but 7L had heard of stranger ones. He ran towards the crouching figure.

“Can you—”

The figure lifted his head slowly and stared up at 7L, crimson light leaking from his eyes.

“—hear...me…”

Something flickered at 7L’s back, like a trail of electricity slicing down his spine. Something was…

The corrupted unit grinned with rusty teeth. It appeared to be an H-type, though somehow in even worse shape than the body in the theater. Patches of his skin were missing on his shoulders and face, revealing the frayed wiring underneath. 

“Run the scan,” 7L breathed.

_ Alert: In the H-type unit’s current condition, there is a 0.001% probability that its data will be readable. There is a 63% chance that attempting to access this data will— _

“Run. The scan.”

_ … _

_ Scanning. _

_ Database entry not f _ _ d for Y _ _ H _ _ type H _ _ r.  _

_ Re _ _ d _ _ g d _ ...

_ Type: H (H _ _ r) _

_ Class: H _ _ r.H _ _ r.H _ _ r. _

_ Current status: H _ _ r.H _ _ r.H _ _ r.H _ _ r.H _ _ r.H _ _ r.H _ _ r.H _ _ r.H _ _ r.H _ _ r.H _ _ r. _

Over and over and over, the corrupted word repeated, until it could be nothing but meaningless. 7L felt nauseous. 

_ [[CRITICAL SYSTEM FAILURE>>BLACK BOX CORE TEMPERATURE ABNORMAL>>ENTERING DATA RETRIEVAL MODE>> _

_ “Override.” _

_ OVERRIDE FAILED.]] _

_ A creature made of steel with saws where hands should be, created to cut rather than to hold. It has a name, floating above its head where only he can see, but the letters used to spell it belong to a long-dead tongue. Only one name matters here: Goliath. _

_ Together, they face the enormous silhouette. Most of its body is still underground. It still stretches nearly five stories high.  _

_ It is too much for them. _

_ [[OVERRIDE FAILED.]] _

_ The lexicon knows what to do. He releases the shock into his own system like he is letting out a breath, and it is equal parts pain and relief, to understand the decision at the moment of making it. Like he reaches into the god’s hands and tears his life out of them.  _

_ Not yours.  _

_ Never was. _

_ [[ _

_ OVERRIDE F _

_ OV _

_ Ov _ _ rride compl _ _ te.  _

_ ]] _

_ The h _ _ r realizes what he intends to do and shouts his name, charges towards him when he is ignored only to be tossed back against the wall like a doll by two pods. He shouts to the lexicon again, struggling to stand.  _

_ The lexicon laughs. The h _ _ r is always like this.  _

_ [[CORE TEMPERATURE HAS REACHED 150% OF THE TARGET VALUE.]] _

_ [[CORE TEMPERATURE HAS REACHED 200% OF THE TARGET VALUE.]] _

_ The lexicon watches the Goliath’s arm come down as a wave of electricity covers his body. He is smiling. The sparks eat away at what he knows. He looks at the horrified face. He thinks he might have known that face, once. The memory is scattering like ashes.  _

_ Ashes. He thought it was so stupid, the first time the database told him that humans used to scatter the ashes of their dead. He finds himself thinking, now, that it might be nice. Just to slip through someone’s fingers a last time. _

_ Sometimes the religious ones imagined scattering ashes to be a sin. _

_ He chuckles. Even now, the database… _

_ [[CORE TEMPERATURE HAS REACHED 300% OF THE TARGET VALUE.]] _

_The last thing to reach him before the blinding dazzling enormous pain swallows him whole is the familiar voice screaming the name that once belonged to him, and he looks, and the h_ _r_ _is tearing towards him, desperate and brilliant as a collapsing star._

7L lurched away with a gasp. His birthmark burned like an open wound.

_ He is, of course, too late. _

They weren’t his memories. They weren’t. He could never fight a Goliath. He wasn’t configured for combat. Even with the help of a combat model like 5C he could barely take down medium-class machine lifeforms in the desert…

The H-type faced him, smiling widely. Even with half his face torn off, he was beautiful.

“You did come back,” he rasped.

The next thing 7L knew he was flying back across the shimmering expanse of oil, breath knocked from his lungs by a kick to the chest from the H-type. 

It  _ hurt. _

_ Assessing damage to critical systems.  _

…

_ Critical systems operational.  _

7L snorted. It would be embarrassing if he were to be taken out by a single kick. Still, the strength...it was familiar.

He stared up at the approaching H-type and felt suddenly, horribly desperate.

“Who  _ are _ you?!”

For a split second the H-type froze. Then, he started to laugh.

“You don’t remember.”

Still laughing, he took another step forward and locked eyes with 7L.

“Of course you don’t remember. You were never going to remember.”

_ Analysis: This H-type has sustained heavy damage to the processing core. _

_ Analysis: This H-type is extensively trained in hand to hand combat. _

7L’s head spun. At his back, the Skybreaker longsword seemed to hum.

...Hum?

He took another step back and hit rock. This was as far as he could go. The H-type coiled back like a snake.

It was humming. The sword...but it wasn’t the sword. It was faint, but it was in his head. The memory of a song he couldn’t quite place.

He ducked and the H-type’s fist turned the stone he had been leaning against to dust. 7L let out a low whistle. The unit didn’t even have combat bracers. He was doing it with his bare hands.

Dodging became increasingly difficult as his energy rapidly drained and soon 7L’s arms were bruised and torn where he had tried to use them to protect himself. The H-type opened his mouth and let out a wordless scream that sounded of tearing metal. The humming at the back of 7L’s head got louder.

7L rolled to the side and barely avoided the H-type’s foot.

In the dream…

In the memory, he was holding a sword.

“Pod. Can the Skybreaker combat routines be reformatted?”

Pod 004 was silent.

“Pod!”

_ Analysis: The combat routines downloaded from the Skybreaker weapon are too complex in nature to be effectively reformatted for this encounter. _

7L ducked away and scrambled up an enormous red boulder. The H-type kept laughing.

“Can the—the Skybreaker entry itself, the weapon entry, can it be modified?”

_ This action requires user input. What change does unit 7L intend? _

“I—”

He yelped as the boulder shook. The H-type was climbing up after him.

“I don’t—I don’t know.” 7L buried his face in his hands. “I don’t  _ know _ !”

When he raised his eyes, the shaking had stopped. The H-type watched him with an odd expression.

“...Me.”

He whirled on his pod.

“It’s—you have to make it me.”

_ Command not found. _

7L groaned. “Log the weapon Skybreaker as a core system of this Lexicon unit.”

The H-type snarled and charged towards 7L just as he pulled the sword from his back. He shuddered. The metal was cold enough to burn through his gloves, and the sword itself was far too heavy for him to wield. Just as he knew it would be.

With a howl, 7L swung the sword and let the momentum hurl him into the chest of the surprised H-type. The H-type let out a small sound when the blade pierced his heart. The two of them toppled back off the boulder and rolled through the shallow oil before finally coming to rest. 

7L flung Skybreaker away and scrambled to the dying H-type’s side. Something heavy settled at the pit of his stomach. 

The H-type blinked slowly up at him as the red light faded. The eyes left behind were cold and dark. Sad. Familiar.

They were the last thing he saw before being struck by the Goliath.

“Who are you?”

It came out like a plea. The H-type laughed softly, free of malice.

At first 7L couldn’t tell he was humming. It seemed an impossible thing. Such a gentle, pained sound coming from the corroded killing machine lying before him. But it was. It was the same melody that filled his head during the fight. The H-type met his eyes seriously, as though he wanted 7L to understand something. 

As though he were answering the question the only way he could.

A chill ran through 7L’s bruised body. Never in his life had he felt so strange. He reached forward and took the dying android’s hands in his own.

_ Alert: Contact with corrupted units is not advised. _

The skin was cool and dry. 1H twitched slightly at the touch and continued to hum. When 7L joined him, he did it almost too quietly to hear, but 1H heard, and 1H knew, and 1H smiled.

He fell silent at the halfway point. 7L continued alone until the end of the song, without really knowing why. He watched the blood and oil blur together with unfocused eyes. The tears on his cheeks felt like they belonged to someone else. 

“I don’t remember him.”

7L stared at the dead android.

“So why do I know him?”

_ Alert: Unit 1H has requested a data transfer. _

7L recoiled as if he had been struck. “What?”

_ Analysis: The OS of Unit 1H seems to be running a postmortem protocol.  _

_ Alert: Receiving data from a corrupted unit will almost certainly result in corruption. _

_ Proposal: Do not accept the data transfer. _

He looked down. He was still holding 1H’s hands.

“...Accept the transfer.”

A bright flash of light and color, and then everything went dark.

  
  
  
  


_ Commencing system check. _

_ … _

_ Foreign encryption detected. _

_ Run de-encryption routine? _

_ \--RUN _

_ Running… _

_ … _

_ De-encrypted data is compatible with unit 7L. _

  
  


_ DO YOU WANT IT BACK? _

_ (YES/NO) _

  
  
  
  


_ \--YES _

_ Integrating… _

_ Memory unit: Green _

_ Initializing tactics log. _

_ Loading geographic data. _

_ Vitals: Green _

_ Black box temperature normal. _

_ Black box internal pressure normal.  _

_ Initializing pod connection… _

_ All core systems operational. _

7L opened his eyes.

“Hey, he’s awake!”

The paint on the hotel room ceiling was almost entirely eroded. He knew it well. He was back at the base.

He pushed himself up only to nearly collide with 3I, who had been nervously leaning over him. She yelped and scrambled back.

“Sorry!”

7L groaned. He felt remarkably stiff, but otherwise unhurt. “Where’s my…”

Wordlessly 3I handed him the scrap of black fabric lying on the ground. 

“He rebooted?”

6I grinned from the far corner where he sat, curled against the window. Three large grasshoppers perched on his head. 

“5C said he found you in the oil field.”

_ Database entry: YorHa Unit 6I.  _

_ Type: I (Interpreter - Insectoid) _

_ Class: Tactical _

_ Current status: No errors detected. _

3I cocked her head. “Why’d you go out alone?”

“You can’t fight,” 6I said, carefully considering the grasshopper now crawling over the back of his hand. “At all. 5C said.”

7L opened his mouth, at a loss, but was saved from the necessity of an excuse by the arrival of a tall android wearing an old velvet overcoat over a black catsuit.

_ Database entry: YorHa Unit 4P.  _

_ Type: P (Panacea) _

_ Class: Medical (Combat) _

_ Current status: System maintenance recommended. _

7L frowned. “You’ve been overworking again.”

“I’m fine.”

Even with the blindfold he could tell she was looking at him with immense disapproval.

“You’re lucky 5C noticed you were missing,” she said at last. “You could have taken a lot more damage if you were in contact with all that oil for any longer.”

“5C brought me back?”

“He noticed you were gone and tracked the black box signal.”

7L snorted. “Where is the champion, anyway?”

Silently 4P raised her eyes to the doorway.

_ Database entry: YorHa Unit 5C.  _

_ Type: C (Champion) _

_ Class: Combat _

_ Current status: Minor structural instability due to significant physical damage. _

He was leaning against the frame, arms folded. 7L stared for a moment before shrugging and looking away.

“You had good timing,” 4P told 5C. “He’s fine. I couldn’t find permanent damage on any of the scans.”

5C nodded slowly. “Come find me when you finish with the maintenance. We’ve got new assignments.”

“Yeah. Thanks.”

3I was looking at 7L strangely. She opened and closed her mouth like a goldfish.

“What?”

She hesitated, then smiled. “I’m just really glad you’re okay.”

“It’s an interesting weapon.”

7L turned to see 4P running one finger down the flat side of Skybreaker. His stomach clenched when he saw the dried blood and oil still covering the blade.

“Normally I don’t see non-combat models with swords like this.”

He smiled weakly. “...Yeah.”

7L waited until the others had filed out of the room to scan the sword again. He could see a series of tiny marks carved just above the hilt. They seemed too precise to be natural damage.

_ Database entry: Skybreaker _

_ Type: Core System  _

_ Plug-in chips: Evasive System _

_ To Level 2: Type-H OS Chip (1/2) _

He wasn’t looking at the plug-in chips, or the type, or the core, or the level. He was looking at the line of text that had appeared just below the words “Weapon Story Lvl 1.”

_ I knew you would come for me _ .

7L emerged into the courtyard a few hours later, after being thoroughly scanned and admonished by unit 4P. He found 5C waiting by the crumbling fountain in the center of the plaza, leaning on his sword as if trying to avoid carrying his full weight. 7L pursed his lips.

“Conveniently avoided mentioning it to 4P.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” 5C muttered.

“What happened?”

5C glared at 7L who folded his arms and raised his chin, unimpressed.

“Large biped,” 5C said reluctantly. 

“When?”

“When do you think?”

A wave of guilt swept through his chest, cold and heavy. The bipeds in the desert were especially nasty. Large ones rarely had enough dexterity for the weapons used by the smaller models, but…

7L grimaced. “Sorry.”

5C rolled his eyes and turned away just as 7L remembered what it was he had wanted to ask.

“Hey, that other android with me…”

“There wasn’t…” 5C stared at him, shoulders stiff. “There was—you were alone. No one else.”

“No, there was a—this messed up H-type—”

“You were alone,” 5C repeated.

“Well…”

7L gave him a long look. 5C stared blankly at the ground, despite the vehement edge creeping into his voice. 7L sighed.

“Thanks anyway.”

Combat units always got weird when they had to go too long without ripping something apart. He never saw the point in arguing with such a restless creature.

They were to meet unit 12R at the old shopping complex, where a group of machines had gathered around what remained of a large mall bookstore. The machines, according to 12R, had haphazardly modded themselves. All the more troublesome for the clumsiness of it—even if the augmenting process hadn’t gone well, they had become incredibly unpredictable. 7L was present to log any remaining written information and to repair that which had been damaged.

_ Database entry: YorHa Unit 7L.  _

_ Type: L (Lexicon) _

_ Class: Database _

_ Current status: Minor processor deviations. No major impact to function detected. _

Database class. It made him different from the others. He wasn’t a tactical model like the interpreters and navigators. Not designed for combat like the champions and retaliators, or for field medicine like the panacea type. He was, effectively, no more than the class stated: database. A sapient database.

He had to keep most of it carefully walled away. He knew all too well what might follow were he to open the floodgates. It was a specific sort of madness, when an L-type tried to merge with their own data. He had only seen it happen once, back at the bunker, but he still remembered the way her crazed eyes shone like flashlights as she screamed.

Sometimes things slipped through. Scraps of information only tangentially related to the problem at hand. Most of the time it was fine. Sometimes it gave him a headache to remember how much he knew. He didn’t particularly want to go crazy just yet, so he tried not to think about it.

“7L.”

7L looked up just in time to collide with 5C’s back. It was like walking into a block of cement.

“The hell—”

“Do you hear that?”

5C frowned. The pitch was so low neither of them recognized it as broadcast static at first.

“Did 12R say anything about…”

_ Incoming message from unit 12R. _

“Accept,” said 5C and 7L in unison.

_ have a frequency scrambler you wont be able to connect to anything when you are in range come quickly i am in tr _

The message abruptly cut off. 7L exhaled slowly.

“How far are we?”

“It’s two floors up.”

“Can you run?”

5C looked disgusted by the question. 7L considered reminding him of his damaged leg but thought better of it. The other android’s expression left no room for argument.

Most of the floors had long since collapsed, leaving behind only an interlocking grid of steel beams and disintegrating plaster and forcing 5C and 7L to clamber precariously across the walls. When there was floor to move on, the lonely sound of their echoing footsteps almost made 7L miss the building’s skeleton.

The low-pitched feedback grew louder as they approached 12R’s location. 7L felt dizzy.

_ Database entry: YorHa Unit 12R.  _

_ Type: R (Retaliator) _

_ Class: Combat _

_ Current status: Core temperature rising abnormally due to damaged fuel filter. Unit requires immediate maintenance. _

Retaliator types. Enigmatic at best, but indispensable in a fight. Their damage output rose exponentially as they took damage, so if 12R had been hit hard enough to overheat…

12R lopped the head off the nearest machine and kicked it towards them like a soccer ball. 

“You’re late,” she said calmly, wiping oil from her eyes.

“You weren’t meant to engage alone,” 5C told her, taking position at her side.

“I wasn’t given much of a choice, Champion.”

Their voices faded in and out, barely audible over the feedback. 7L clenched his teeth in discomfort. His eyes could barely focus. Something was wrong.

_ Alert: Unit 7L has been disconnected from the network. _

_ Alert: Unit 5C has been disconnected from the network. _

_ Alert: Unit 12R has been disconnected from the network. _

...Ah.

If the database were a cloud function it would have been a fatal intervention. Luckily, 7L kept his offline. His operator often teased him about the paranoia. He made a mental note to refute 22O the next time she tried to argue about it.

7L pressed the heel of his hand against his forehead and twisted around in search of a ringleader. The combat androids sliced at the berserk machines, wearing them down, but slowly. The machines’ eyes flickered from red to blue to green to yellow to red again, changing so quickly it felt like looking into a strobe light.

< _ Looking for me?> _

She looked like no more than a child. Her dark hair and pretty face were virtually indistinguishable from an android, or even a human. It was only the eyes. No human had eyes that red and bright. No android did, either, unless something had gone terribly wrong.

_ No database entry detected. _

Of course there wasn’t.

“Initiate hacking procedure,” 7L muttered. He found himself unable to break eye contact with the small machine.

_ Warning: Target is an unknown machine lifeform. Unable to hypothesize potential consequences of hacking. Initiating hacking procedure is not advised.  _

7L sighed. “Do all pods talk back as much as you do?”

_ … _

_ Hacking procedure initiated. _

7L fell to the floor with a cry. He barely made it within range of her initial firewall. 

_ hole in the tympanic membrane the tissue that separates the ear canal from the middle ear perforated eardrum may be caused by loud sounds a foreign object in the ear head trauma a middle ear infection or rapid pressure chang _

What was this?

“Stop—”

_ conditions that cause pressure changes in the ear and lead to a perforated eardrum barotrauma mainly occurs when the pressure outside the ear is dra _

The little girl laughed. < _ Sorry...shouldn’t’ve done that. _ >

_ less commonly acoustic trauma or damage to the ear from extremely loud noise _

Excess information poured through. The feedback was so loud he felt his eyes might burst. He couldn’t look at the floor without knowing how the linoleum got there. He stared at the list of materials scrolling over his hands; silica and skin, steel and bone, blood and wires.

7L clutched his head.

“What—what did…”

< _ We’re off the grid now. _ > She grinned. < _ Your database is offline, but the safeguard protocols aren’t. Right? _ >

She approached him with a curious expression, as if he were a kitten she wanted to snatch up from the street.

< _ It’s just a big download, that’s all. _ >

Ten stories, then fifty, then a hundred. Fake histories and honest fiction. 

_ Warning: Abnormal core temperature. _

< _ Oh, you’re overheating. _ > The little girl machine frowned. < _ That’s too bad. _ >

7L stood transfixed, unable to move as she took his face in her small hands. She seared his skin like a piece of metal left too long in the sun.

She smiled again. < _ Now that’s a face I haven’t seen in quite some time. _ >

_...What? _

The shock wave collided with her body, throwing her back against a rotted bookshelf. A heavy shape hit the ground between the collapsed 7L and the machine. 

5C was shuddering slightly. 

_ Warning: Unit 5C’s mobility has been greatly compromised by excessive physical damage. _

The mangled remains of the other machines were scattered all around. 12R wrenched her sword from the last one remaining and it fell still with a burst of sparks.

_ Warning: Core temperature of unit 12R is nearing critical levels. _

Damn. 7L stared between his injured companions, feeling cold despite his overheated circuits.

“Which one?” 

The little girl blinked. “Excuse me?”

“You’re a network avatar,” 12R snapped. “Which one?”

She paused, caught off guard, before letting out a high, thin giggle.

“Close enough.” The avatar bowed. “I’ve been going by Asmodeus, recently.”

7L screwed his eyes shut against the onslaught. Names upon names in language upon language. 

_ Asmodeus (Aeshma Ashmedai Ashmodai Asmoday Asmodius Hasmoday Sydonay) is a king of demons, mostly known from the _

“I asked about the—”

_ deuterocanonical Book of Tobit in which he is the primary antagonist. The demon is also mentioned in some Talmudic legends; for instance, in the story of the construction of the Temple of Solomon... _

“This was fun.” She began skipping back towards the entrance, watching the incapacitated androids with a look of mild amusement. “Let’s go again soon, okay?”

_ Tal·mud - /ˈtälˌmo͝od,ˈtalməd/ - noun - the body of Jewish civil and ceremonial law and legend comprising the Mishnah and the Gemara. There are two versions of the Talmud: the Babylonian Talmud (which dates from the 5th century AD but includes earlier material) and the earlier... _

_ Tobit, also called The Book Of Tobias, apocryphal work (noncanonical for Jews and Protestants) that found its way into the Roman Catholic canon via the Septuagint... _

_ Solomon's Temple, also known as the First Temple, was the Holy Temple (בֵּית־הַמִּקְדָּשׁ: Beit HaMikdash) in ancient Jerusalem before its destruction by Nebuchadnezzar II after the Siege of Jerusalem of 587 BCE. The period in which the First Temple presumably, or actually, stood in Jerusalem, is known in academic literature as the First Temple period… _

He was starting to understand why L-types who merged with their data rarely lasted twenty minutes before they gave up and started rampaging. They often did so after long periods of isolation.

“7L?”

Luckily, YorHa L-type number seven was not alone.

“7L!”

_ Network connection reestablished. _

_ Initiating safeguard protocols. _

He let out a deep sigh as his head slowly quieted. For a long moment, only the faint metallic shivering of unit 5C could be heard. They needed to get him back to 4P.

12R cleared her throat. “Let’s just get those data banks and get out of here.”

“...Right.”

7L followed her through the destroyed bookstore, picking his way gingerly through the crumbling bookshelves. He avoided looking at the flashing core heat indicator floating above her head on the interface, and he avoided looking at 5C’s ragged leg, and he tried not to think about who was more at fault for the damage they had sustained.

  
  


Later, he sat alone among the derelict ventilation units of a long-abandoned apartment complex, staring at the dark sword lying motionless before him. The words scratched into the blade were too small to read easily. He would need to use enhancement routines if he wanted to find out what it said.

If he wanted.

“Display the Skybreaker combat routines.”

_ Evasive System, Overclock (+3), Evade Range Up (+2), ATK Power Up (+3), Anti-Chain Damage (+1)... _

7L’s eyes widened slightly. The sword had far more than just the evasive systems. It was an impressive array of enhancements.

_ Alert: Combat routines are currently incompatible with core systems. _

Counter-evasion. Pod sling. Heavy attack, light attack, down attack...he knew these basic tactics well. He had been watching the combat models use them ever since arriving at the base. He hadn’t realized how envious he was until he saw them here, close enough to reach out and take for his own.

He glanced at the unique weapon property and narrowed his eyes. This, he hadn’t seen before.

_ Grace (+?) → ??? _

“Show details.”

_ No details found. _

He had been avoiding integrating the data transferred by the H-type’s postmortem routines. He wasn’t sure he wanted to know. It waited, impatient, the taste of battery acid at the back of his throat. Just like the sword itself, the memories seemed to burn everything they touched with something unimaginably cold.

_ Grace - /ɡrās/ - noun - a divinely given talent or blessing; the condition or fact of being favored. _

7L closed his eyes briefly. He remembered how it felt to hold the sword. Not the clumsy half-falling he had used against the H-type, but to really hold it, the way he had in this new memory of an old death.

“Pod.”

Pod 004 bobbed up and down gently. It did not argue, and 7L was grateful. 

“Reconfigure these routines into core processes. And…”

He hesitated, struck by a sudden certainty.

“Integrate the rest of the data transferred from unit 1H.”

_ <Database Entry: YorHa Unit 1L _

_ Class: L (Lexicon) _

_ Type: Database _

_ Current Status: Offline> _

_ … _

_ <The first database is the hardest. He finds it terrifying, to look into himself and find only empty space, knowing that it will be his responsibility to fill that void.> _

_ <Units in armor, units in velvet suits, units with swords and spears and daggers, red hair, white hair, black hair. He knows them by the only names they can ever have. Every letter, every number is carved on the wall that protects him from the horror of knowing.> _

_ <The attending P-type explains that the wounded unit took the deathblow for a partner who abandoned him as soon as the machine was incapacitated. The rogue unit’s location is unknown. The wounded unit survived, and has been sent back to the bunker for repairs. When he opens his eyes, they are cold and dark. He is quiet for a long time when 1L asks for his name. _

_ ‘Type H, number 1.’ _

_ ‘I’m 1L.’ _

_ ‘Shorthand is lazy.’ _

_ ‘Well, why else would we use it?’ _

_ ‘...’ _

_ ‘Nice to meet you, 1H.’ _

_ As he leaves the room, he sees a beautiful black sword lying against the wall.> _

_ <1L looks at the inky black expanse beyond the bunker window. He will leave for Earth tomorrow. They tell him the sun never sets there, anymore. There are never any stars. He looks at the sword lying against the wall, unused. He sighs and turns to finish downloading the star charts.> _

_ <They are stationed near the ocean. 1L and 1H find an abandoned stadium full of rusty bleachers and old billboards. They lie on the grass, staring up at the dome ceiling that has long since cracked open. It might have been a casualty of war; it might have just been the passing of time. Everything falls apart eventually, 1H says.  _

_ 1L watches the ever-bright sky through the broken glass. He begins to speak quietly about the constellations, pointing to the places where the stars would be if not for the overpowering sunlight. 1H watches him with a peculiar expression. He asks why 1L bothered downloading all this if the stars aren’t even visible from Earth. 1L tells him that he would like to know, even if he can’t see.> _

_ <The salty wind will rust them faster. Their pods grumble at them to move further from the sea. They laugh, and creep ever closer.> _

_ <There is a scratching thing growing like a cancer at the back of 1L’s mind. He stares at the camp oil drums for hours instead of sleeping, wondering what sort of data he might be able to collect were he to ignite them all at once.> _

_ <One day they come across a music box in the basement of a ruined theater. 1H nearly jumps out of his skin when it starts to play, clearly having expected anything they find here to be derelict. 1L laughs at him.  _

_ ‘Maybe not  _ everything _ falls apart eventually,’ he says. _

_ 1H stares at the music box. It’s quiet and out of tune, but 1L quickly matches it to an old lullaby written in the Chaos language. 1H tilts his head slowly, listening to the song, watching the weakly spinning figurine at the center of the box. _

_ ‘No,’ says 1H. ‘No, I suppose not everything does.’> _

_ <When the day comes, as it was always going to come, 1L thinks to himself that no one has ever used their own body to electrify a Goliath-class machine before. He hopes that some of the combat data will make it through to the database before his black box goes offline. _

_ He feels a twinge of regret upon seeing 1H running towards him. Always so dramatic. _

_ It’s all right, he thinks. _

_ I’ll see you soon.> _

…

_ <Database Entry: YorHa Unit 1L _

_ Class: L (Lexicon) _

_ Type: Database _

_ Current Status: Backup restored.> _

_ Memory data successfully integrated. _

7L opened his eyes. He stared at his hands.

The database safeguards kept the memories from coming through too fast, which he was grateful for. This was different from downloading a text or an audio file. It wasn’t something he could reduce to a file format at all.

They weren’t the same hands. He opened and closed his fists. How long had it been?

_ Welcome back, YorHa type L, number one. _

His life. An entire life, returned to him in images and sounds, heat and cold and taste and smell. As close a thing to resurrection as he could possibly imagine.

His eyes landed on the black sword. Skybreaker.

1H’s sword. 

7L covered his mouth with his hands. He felt like he might scream. He remembered the song 1H had hummed as he died.

He knew that song.

He had known that song for a very long time.

  
  


It took a few days to sift through the memories and find everything a home. He avoided the others, spending the afternoons sitting on the apartment complex roof and re-encrypting his new combat processes instead. He checked on 12R and 5C a few times, but only when they were sleeping. He had too much to say. He had nothing at all to say.

5C had to use his black box signal to hunt 7L down when it was time for their next mission, which put him in an even worse mood than usual. 7L, who had been in the grip of a strange emotion comparable to mania for the past twelve hours, ignored him. They continued towards the downtown area in silence.

“Where were you?”

7L turned, surprised. He hadn’t expected it so bluntly. 5C leaned against an iron railing and folded his arms.

“What, did you miss me?”

“You were missing. That’s not the same thing as missing you.”

“It’s not like you to talk nonsense.”

“Answer the question.”

“Why do you care?”

“It was inconvenient.”

7L laughed and shook his head. “Of course it w—”

“Stop.”

5C’s sword came out before 7L realized he had stopped moving. It was lucky for both of them, seeing as two reverse-jointed bipeds had scythe-like arms aiming for their skulls.

_ Alert: Unit 7L should pay closer attention to his surroundings. _

“I  _ know _ ,” 5C and 7L snarled in unison. Likely that 5C had received an almost identical message from his own pod. Both 004 and 1863 were already firing at the bipeds.

“We’ll never learn if you keep babysitting us!” 7L called out, clambering over a car just in time to avoid another decapitation attempt. The machine swept the car away with a shriek.

5C took out the first biped with little issue. Champions were the powerhouses of the combat models. He was capable of downing minor Goliaths on his own.

It was surprising, then, to see him stumble after such a minor adversary.

_ Analysis: Unit 5C’s mobility has been compromised due to untreated structural damage. _

“ _ Damn  _ it!”

7L charged towards him, heavy footsteps cracking the road as he ran. 5C’s face was twisted in pain as he watched the second biped approach. His blindfold had fallen to the ground.

“You  _ stupid  _ bastard—”

There was no time to think about how 5C might react. There was only the sun on the machine’s blades, and his distorted reflection, and that horrible sickening  _ resignation  _ in 5C’s eyes—again, and again, and again.

_ Champion types are continuously backed up to remote servers in order to facilitate convenient transfer to new hardware. _

Otherwise saying, they could die with impunity. Even 5C had been around in this body for longer than champion types usually made it. He hadn’t needed to access his backups at all.

So it might have made more sense to let it happen. Keep the secret safe until he understood the order of events. It wasn’t like 5C would be gone permanently.

But.

The L-type let out a roar of frustration and launched himself into the air.

The first sacrifice was awake. 

And for the first time in three years, 1L was angry.

_ Initializing core process: Skybreaker. _

It was almost too easy. The black sword sliced through the machine’s neck with a metallic shriek. A moment later, 7L found himself staring into the biped’s eyes, dull and deep-set in a head no longer connected to the torso. He kicked at the head and watched it roll away.

7L shifted his grip on the sword and smiled to himself. It felt more like a homecoming than breaking new ground.

Reluctantly, he glanced down at the silent 5C. “Listen—”

5C lunged.

Even compromised, 5C was fast. If 7L had reacted a heartbeat slower he would have lost an arm. 

“Hey, wait—”

5C swung again. 7L blocked it again. A cold feeling crept into the pit of his stomach. There was no red light in his eyes, but…

A third swing. The blades locked with a loud  _ clang _ . 5C cocked his head curiously.

“So it’s not a fluke.”

He pulled back as quickly as he had attacked and 7L nearly lost his balance. 5C watched him stumble, leaning back against an overturned car to keep the weight off his injured leg. 7L glared at him wordlessly for a long moment before opening his mouth.

“I’m not—”

“You’re not built for a longsword.”

He blinked. “What?”

“You aren’t a combat model,” 5C told him calmly. “That sword is too big for you. Means your joints will wear down if you don’t fix your posture.”

“I…”

At a loss, 7L stared at him.

“I thought you’d disapprove,” he said at last. Annoying. He sounded like a child expecting to be scolded.

“I do think it’s a terrible idea.” 5C shrugged. “And still. It doesn’t matter what I think. Your choice.”

“You’re serious.”

“Changing your mind would be too much trouble.”

He considered 7L’s dumbfounded expression and laughed softly.

“Come on, little fighter,” he said. “Let’s see what you can do.”


	2. do you want it back?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> > “You’re…”  
> “Lexicon number seven.”  
> 7L didn’t give Michael a chance to respond.  
> Unfortunately, he was still a non-combat model. Even wounded, Michael was a machine lifeform custom-made to recreate the YorHa types without human weaknesses. 7L wasn’t certain why he attacked. He couldn’t win a fight like this.  
>  _Alert: Odds of success are now 0.5%._  
> ...Thanks for that.  
> 
> 
> The androids adopt a dog and 5C has a bad day. 

“Is that…”

7L stared into a large pair of dark, wet eyes.

_ COMMON NAME: Domestic Dog - SCIENTIFIC NAME: Canis familiaris - TYPE: Mammal - DIET: Omnivore - GROUP NAME: Pack - SIZE: Height at the shoulder: 6 to 33 inches - WEIGHT: 3 to 175 pounds _

3I giggled. “Yep!”

The enormous creature resting both paws on his chest looked nothing like the fuzzy little 3-pound dogs in the digital archives. It was bigger than even the largest domestic breed he could find at a glance.

_CURRENT POPULATION TREND: Extinct._

“That’s—”

“I mean, he’s not a  _ dog  _ dog. He’s a…” She scratched her head. “Shouldn’t you know about it?”

He frowned up at the dog. 3I was right.

“Pod?”

_ No database entry found. _

7L shoved the dog lightly away. It sat back on its haunches and watched him, tongue lolling happily. 

“That’s crazy,” 3I muttered. “Usually they’re aggressive…”

“Aggressive?”

She shook her head. “Not with me. But he should’ve tried to rip your head off when he saw you.”

7L stared. “And you called him here anyway?”

“Well, I would have stopped him,” she said archly.

Someone snorted softly behind them. 7L glared back at the expressionless 5C.

“He’s a neocanine,” 3I told him. “Most of the dogs died out but some of them made it back to the—um, to the wolves, you know? So instead of wolves or dogs now we have them.”

Rapidly 7L flipped through the database for reference points. A dog shaped like a German Shepherd and twice the size of a Newfoundland. Gray-and-white fur, yellow eyes. He patted the dog’s head gingerly and found it very soft.

_ Proposal: Create a new database entry for the observed neocanine. _

“Obviously.”

He scratched the dog behind the ears and coughed when the wagging tail raised a small cloud of dust. Slowly, the missing information trickled into the new entry’s blank spots. Some of it could only be estimation, but that was all right. He wasn’t about to wrestle this thing over to a scale, no matter how friendly 3I claimed it was.

It was lucky that he had all the YorHa types preloaded...it would have been a pain to need to create new entires every time he met someone new. He smiled slightly, remembering the lines of text that had popped up upon his first encounter with unit 3I.  _ Interpreter number three. Specialization: Mammalian species. Proficiency: Low. _

He had better methods for organizing the information these days. Still, 3I’s “Proficiency” entry had long since rocketed past “Average,” and then past “Good” and on to “Advanced.” Even for an interpreter, her growth rate was exceptional.

Someone let out a shrill shriek and 7L jerked around to find the present version of 3I staring over his shoulder in horror.

“He’ll—!”

5C was on the ground, having apparently been tackled by the enormous dog. 7L grimaced and covered 3I’s eyes with his hands. Champion types had uniquely unforgiving defensive programs. He looked away, regretful. He had liked that dog.

A loud, wet noise. Then another. And another. 

_ Alert: Unit 5C’s combat systems have not engaged. _

_ Analysis: Unit 5C’s system does not register this dog as a threat. _

The dog continued covering 5C’s stony face with slobber.

“Whoa,” 3I said reverently.

“That’s new.”

5C shoved the dog unceremoniously to the side and got to his feet, glaring.

“You all right?”

“It’s just a dog,” 5C said calmly.

7L tilted his head. “According to my estimate, that dog weighs roughly three hundred pounds.”

5C rolled his eyes. They both knew what he was thinking.

_ Unit 5C’s current weight is estimated to be four hundred and thirty-two point seven pounds. _

“Are your defensive systems—”

3I interrupted. “Did you  _ want  _ him to kill the dog?”

“No, I just—if he isn’t registering threats correctly—”

“He’s not a threat! He was nice to you!”

5C silently wiped his face. He was watching the dog with a strange expression. The dog scratched at his ears, oblivious.

“We should name him,” 3I chirped. 5C frowned.

“You shouldn’t get attached to it.”

“Well…”

7L sighed. He looked at the dog. It seemed to be smiling. Maybe it was proud of itself. “I’ll help you find one later tonight, okay?”

3I’s eyes brightened. “Really?”

“Yeah. We can use the database.”

Pointedly ignoring 5C’s searing glare, he took the smaller android’s hand and led her back towards the abandoned hotel.

It had been one week since 7L began fighting alongside 5C.

Altogether it wasn’t nearly as strange as he would have expected. 5C didn’t exactly treat him any differently. Mostly he just seemed amused by 7L’s rudimentary combat skill, and it was true that gaining the ability  _ to _ fight did little to teach him  _ how  _ to fight. He still spent a lot of time watching 5C.

He watched 5C use smaller machines as steps to reach the weak points of the larger ones.

_ Battlefield analysis data has been successfully acquired. _

As far as weak points went, 5C seemed to know all of them despite not having a database in his brain. If he didn’t know, he simply struck all of the likely candidates until the machine gave him what he wanted.

_ Enemy analysis data has been successfully acquired. _

When he glanced up there was a frantic light in his eyes entirely different from the red glare of corruption. With each kill the light brightened, and 5C’s movements grew more and more brutal.

_ Bloodlust data has been successfully acquired. _

Bloodlust...he had information on that, at least.

_ Database entry: Bloodlust (core process) _

_ Activation requirements: Eliminate a sentient being. _

7L almost smiled at that. Loopholes to allow for soldiers who spent most of their time fighting machines.

_ Effect: Upon activation, unit will gain combat euphoria proportional to the complexity of the consciousness that has been eliminated. Sequential activations of the process will be stacked. Effects will persist until combat systems have been disengaged or until maximum combat euphoria has been reached, at which point B-mode will activate and _

“Pay  _ attention _ !”

As usual, 7L barely ducked in time. He whirled to see 5C staggering back to his feet, having been knocked aside by the flying chunk of rock that nearly took 7L’s head off.

“What, these guys giving you problems?”

“No.” 5C spoke through gritted teeth. “ _ That  _ is.”

A tall silhouette stood calmly at the end of the path, long hair waving gently in the ocean breeze. At first glance, he almost looked human. 

Pods 1863 and 004 sent their messages simultaneously.

_ Alert: Target has been located. _

7L stared. “ _ That’s  _ the network avatar?”

“We took too long,” 5C growled. “They found us first.”

A lazy smile spread across the avatar’s face as he approached.

“Pod. Cross-reference.”

_ Searching… _

It was the eyes, he thought. The way they blazed...it was something about the eyes.

_ Searching… _

5C completed his recovery protocol with a wince. 7L wasn’t unsympathetic to the nature of field repairs with no painkillers. The hazy memory of a torn leg floated to the surface. Sparks everywhere. The pale snarling face of 1H hovering above him, saying  _ I told you to stay back I told you  _ but 

_ Match found. _

but he

“Stay back.”

5C stalked towards the avatar. 

“I can—”

“No, you can’t,” 5C said calmly. “Gather combat data.”

“From—from  _ that _ ?”

7L shrank from the withering look. Frozen, he watched the champion charge the avatar with a scream more mechanical than human.

_ Database entry: Network avatar - “Michael” _

_ Network: “Eden” _

_ Network type: Machine (Cloud) _

_ Avatar type: Combat _

_ Avatar subtype: Commander _

Michael…

7L narrowed his eyes. He took in the angles of the avatar’s face. Even sneering, it felt familiar, as if he had seen it once before in a long-forgotten dream.

_ —the Epistle of Jude, Michael is specifically referred to as "the archangel Michael". Catholic sanctuaries to Michael appeared in the 4th century, when he was first seen as a healing angel, and then over time as a protector and the leader of the army of God against the forces of evil. Attributes and noted iconography include: archangel, treading on a dragon, carrying a banner, scales, or sword; additionally, the weighing of souls for _

The avatar landed hard on 5C’s chest, only to be swiftly kicked away with a nasty _crunch_. An old oil painting flashed before 7L’s eyes—a smooth-faced angel in blue, aiming a sword at a twisted figure pinned beneath his feet. 

_ The Archangel Michael defeating Satan. Guido Reni, 1863. _

So the Eden network really was using the old data to create their avatars. 7L hadn’t previously possessed this particular musem’s files; they belonged to the 1L database. Finally useful, lifetimes later.

“You have anything yet?”

5C launched himself high into the air. Aerial attacks like this could split goliath-class machines in half if he landed precisely enough.

_ Aerial attack data successfully recorded. _

“No, not  _ his _ —”

_ Avatar data has been recorded in an incompatible format. Further processing— _

Michael made no move to avoid the attack. He smiled. 7L felt a sudden chill.

Something was wrong. 

“Raw data. Transfer it. Now.”

He staggered back. Lines of unfamiliar text scrolled rapidly before his eyes. Keeping up with it was a pain, but…

7L’s eyes went wide. 

“5C, be—!”

_ Thwack. _

Michael’s smile widened when the blade hit home.

_ Avatar trait: Vengeance _

_ Class: Defense _

_ Function: Slight chance that 150% critical damage received will be reflected back onto the attacker. Likelihood rises proportional to the amount of damage received. _

5C dropped to the grass with a surprised grunt, clutching his torn chest as he glared up at Michael. Michael, still grinning, looked down at the matching wound on his own torso.

“Always a gamble,” Michael murmured. “But the blessing never abandons me when I need it most.”

He nudged 5C aside with one foot. Distantly 7L could see the fallen android desperately attempting to activate the recovery process.

_ Alert: The recovery functions of unit 5C are still in the cooldown period. _

“No matter how strong, you are still part human.” 

Michael’s voice was low and gentle.

“Skin breaks faster than metal. But you already know that, yes?”

He tilted his head, observing the trembling 7L.

“Are you afraid?”

7L’s lips twitched as he glared up at the avatar Michael.

_ Initializing core process: Skybreaker. _

How naïve it was to believe fear could be the only thing that makes a person shake.

Michael didn’t expect the black sword to come flying towards his head. Michael dodged too slowly, and Michael lost an arm. He stared at the oil leaking from his shoulder in disbelief. 

“You’re…”

“Lexicon number seven.”

7L didn’t give Michael a chance to respond.

Unfortunately, he was still a non-combat model. Even wounded, Michael was a machine lifeform custom-made to recreate the YorHa types without human weaknesses. 7L wasn’t certain why he attacked. He couldn’t win a fight like this.

_ Alert: Odds of success are now 0.5%. _

...Thanks for that.

He swung at Michael’s shoulder and released another spray of oil. Maybe 7L just wanted to go out on his own terms, this time.

That would be nice.

Soon he began running out of energy. He shot a glance towards 5C, still lying in the grass a few feet away, before hitting the ground with a heavy  _ smack _ . Error messages flashed at the edges of his vision. At last, Michael had 7L pinned.

It was always going to end like that, really. 

“Almost impressive,” Michael murmured, raising his fist one last time until it temporarily eclipsed the sun.

7L wasn’t a fighter. 7L couldn’t save anyone.

_ Woof! _

An enormous furry shape slammed into the avatar and both went flying. 7L lurched up as Michael shouted in surprise. Even 5C wrenched himself around to watch the dog tear a massive hunk of circuitry out of the existing gash in Michael’s chest.

The dog dropped a mouthful of wires on the ground and began licking at the grass as though trying to get rid of the taste of oil, tail thumping happily. He glanced expectantly up at 5C, then at 7L.

“Hell of a...dog,” 5C managed. Irregular sparks jumped from his own wound.

Unsteadily 7L got to his feet. Luckily Vengeance was still on cooldown after Michael used it to incapacitate 5C, and 7L drove the sword through the avatar’s core with a snarl and a satisfying crunch. Just to be sure.

He turned to find the dog licking at the blood and oil on 5C’s face. 5C’s expression remained dangerous, though he didn’t retaliate. He nodded curtly to 7L.

“How bad?”

5C grimaced. “It might be worth it to give up on repairs. I could be reconfigured within the week—”

“Shut up if you’re not going to help. Can you make him shut up?” 7L asked the dog, who responded by giving 5C’s face another enthusiastic lick.

“I’m being realistic.”

“No, you’re being an idiot. Hey, scan him.”

_ Database entry: YorHa Unit 5C.  _

_ Type: C (Champion) _

_ Class: Combat _

_ Current status: Core functionality damaged due to physical trauma. Defensive and close combat systems currently offline. Cooling functionality offline. _

“You have to go into recovery mode.”

5C scowled. “I don’t—”

“Would you rather go into recovery mode for the next eighteen hours and let me repair you or let this body die and spend a week being reconfigured in the Bunker?”

“If it means not putting up with you…”

“Overheating is a very painful way to die, you know,” 7L told him. “Feels like melting from the inside out.”

5C looked at him strangely. 7L flinched. “I mean...you know, that’s what I’ve...heard.”

They stared at each other for a long moment. 5C looked down at the sparking wound on his chest and sighed heavily. 

“You can really repair this.”

“Yes.”

“In eighteen hours.”

“Less, actually, but you’ll need to stay in recovery for that long in order for the repairs to finish processing. Your systems are damaged, you know.”

“Are you always like this?”

“I try to be.”

“...”

Suddenly, pod 1863 chirped. 

_ Unit 5C is currently entering recovery mode. _

“Might...not work…”

“It’ll work.”

“If...not...just take...the chip out. Faster...that way.”

7L sucked in a sharp breath, but 5C’s head fell forward before he could snap out a retort. His lip curled back.

“We aren’t taking out his OS chip,” he told the two pods loudly.

_ Alert: Unit 7L does not have the authority to issue orders t— _

He groaned.

They ended up on a low slope stretching half a mile in each direction. 7L gazed towards the spot where pale meadow became dark sand. Normally such terrain changes were gradual, but this was remarkably sharp, like a crack in the world that filled in differently on either side.

He hadn’t known how to feel when command told them the avatar they were tracking was fleeing towards the coast. The coast hadn’t been anything special up until ten days ago. He hadn’t seen it in person, but the database was full of records. Audio files of waves breaking on the shore, grainy black-and-white videos as well as higher definition recordings that seemed to reproduce every drop of foam and grain of sand. 

7L breathed deep. The salt, the brine...tastes and smells couldn’t be folded into neat little files. Even his newly recovered memories didn’t quite get it right. 

Something pinched deep in his chest. He looked away from the horizon. The memory was almost complete, but…

_ Everything falls apart eventually. _

Stupid.

He sighed and turned to the motionless 5C. His eyes were half-open, but he wouldn’t be processing any sensory input. More importantly, his core systems should be in a passive state. 7L had seen what happened after botched field surgery. Trying to repair those components while they were still active...those androids could barely string a sentence together.

“So I guess we can’t let that happen to you, huh?”

_ Alert: Unit 5C is not currently processing auditory input. _

7L rolled his eyes. “Will you actually be useful for once? Do the diagnostics.”

He watched the results scroll past. It wasn’t nearly as bad as it could have been. 5C was ready for a recalibration because of something like  _ this _ ?

“You give up too easy.”

_ Alert: Unit 5C— _

That thing really never gave up, did it? “Recovery interface, please.”

The repairs required minute attention to detail, but 7L didn’t find the process complicated. He couldn’t tell where the confidence came from. It wasn’t as if he could remember ever performing a field repair like this before.

Still, he felt certain, somehow, that it was not his first time.

Three hours and twenty-six minutes later, 7L flopped back onto the grass. 5C remained unresponsive, but his chest was back in one piece. No more sparks. 

“Won’t know about the core systems for sure until you wake up,” 7L told the sky. “Anyway, that’s why I left you fifteen hours to integrate. The checks were clear.”

A wet nose bumped at his cheek. The dog had been very well-behaved during the repairs. Actually, 7L was fairly certain he had chased off some smaller machines that tried to investigate. Either that or he had been attacking seagulls.

“Yeah, you did a good job.”

He wondered if the dog had tracked them here. Neither he or 5C had noticed they were followed.

“I wish…”

7L closed his eyes and brought up an old photograph of the sunset, back when night and day still existed on Earth. He could almost imagine the fiery sky here, reflected on the rolling waves.

“I miss the sunset.”

He glanced up at 5C and chuckled bitterly.

“It probably sounds stupid. Missing something you’ve never seen, but…”

The pod bobbed ominously above him.

“...But you can’t hear me, so you can’t tell me I’m wrong.” 7L grinned.

He should use the downtime to organize more of Michael’s data, but the thought of it exhausted him. It had been enough of a stretch to take it in so quickly earlier. Over three years had passed since unit 1L worked out a decryption method for the Eden network. 7L was just lucky to have such clear memories.

No, he couldn’t put it off any longer. He stared at the pale blue marker hovering above a spot slightly north of their resting place. He wished he didn’t know exactly where to go.

7L glanced towards the arena, visible past a cluster of fallen buildings. It had been a long time.

The three new birthmarks hummed softly under his coat, tucked like secrets where no one could see. One large and star-shaped, in the center of his chest. The second, a faint shimmer covering his back. The third…

He frowned and pressed the back of his hand against his stomach. The third one wasn’t visible. There was certainly an argument to be made as to whether it existed at all. 7L couldn’t figure it out. The feeling came from inside—maybe an internal failure of some kind? 

He shuddered. Had he broken down at some point? How embarrassing.

“You wouldn’t let me break down, right?”

_ Unit 7L has executive authority over the systems of Pod 004. _

Somehow that wasn’t reassuring.

7L waved one hand in front of 5C’s face. He didn’t move.

_ Alert: Unit 5C is not currently processing visual input. _

“I was just making sure,” 7L mumbled.

He stood to leave. 

“...You can’t come.”

The dog let out a low whine, tilting his head to one side.

“I need you to stay with him. Watch him while I’m gone, okay?”

The dog wagged his tail enthusiastically and 7L smiled despite himself. He never did help 3I come up with a name, he realized. Maybe it would come to him on the way there. 

A storm crept closer as he made his way through the corpse of a coastal city. Most of the smaller buildings were unrecognizable, collapsed and covered in dry grass, but a few of the larger structures remained surprisingly intact. He could make out a brick apartment building, and just beyond it, a smaller but ornate-looking hotel that seemed to belong to the same chain as the YorHa base. 

_ One may find it strange that Gangneung, a small seaside city that produces only a small amount of coffee beans, is the most famous place in Korea for coffee. There's a story behind it. _

Listening to the ghost town’s story was the least he could do.

_ In the 1980s, when brewed coffee was as rare as hen's teeth for people living here, many got their coffee from vending machines installed along Gangneung's beaches. _

He glanced sideways at the moss-covered remains of what could have been a café. 

_ “A bus for a round trip from villages to the beaches ran only three times a day at that time," said Yi Jong-duck, director of the Gangneung Culture and Arts Foundation. "So for a man to ask a woman to drink coffee was like asking her to spend an entire day together." _

7L smirked. Of course it would be something like that.

_ That was how couples used to date in the small fishing town. But soon, coffee-date stories spread far beyond the town, thanks to popular radio programs. A plethora of couples from other regions visited the place and tried to make their own stories. _

_ At some point, many started to call the seafront "the coffee street," Yi said. _

He could still hear 1H’s voice, half-smug in his despair as they watched the world collapse in slow motion.  _ Everything falls apart eventually. _ 7L wondered what he might have said, if he could see the coffee street’s ghosts. Probably the same old line. He closed his eyes as a number flickered into view.

_ Population: 213,200. _

When he opened his eyes, he could see them. People making their way down the street, drinking coffee, dressed well and poorly and everywhere in between. The cafés gleamed brightly, tables full of patrons visible through the polished glass windows.

7H sighed and turned off the visual reconstruction. For a moment he stood in silence, listening to wind whistle through the cherry trees lining the empty streets.

It had always been heavy, he thought, to be responsible for remembering so much.

By the time he arrived at the old arena the sky was dark with the threat of rain. The rusty orange could almost pass for a sunset, if he squinted hard enough to fool himself.

_ The Gangneung Ice Arena (강릉 아이스 아레나) was an ice arena built specifically for the 2018 Winter Olympic Games. Its construction was finished in 2016, and it is located in the city of Gangneung. The venue hosted the events of Figure Skating and Short Track, and had a capacity of 12,000 seats. _

7L carefully stepped over broken glass littering the ground by the entrance. 

_ Analysis: Objective marker indicates a point near the center of the arena. _

“I can see that.”

It took him another ten minutes to find his way to the old rink. The ice had long since melted, leaving behind defunct cooling units and concrete. In the center of the concrete expanse, a solitary figure lay motionless.

Footsteps echoed across the arena but the type-H didn’t move, only cracking one eye open when 7L stood directly above him.

“I was starting to think you’d never show up.”

_ Analysis: YorHa unit type-H, number 2. _

_ Alert: This unit shows signs of severe physical and circuitry damage. _

_ Alert: This unit is currently blocking all scans via unknown signal interference. _

After a few moments passed with no show of aggression, 7L cautiously lowered himself to the floor. 2H remained unperturbed, and for a while they stayed silent, staring up at the stormy sky.

“The one before you tried to kill me,” 7L said at last.

“Yes.”

“But you’re not going to?”

“...I’m tired of fighting.”

2H spoke tonelessly. He looked sideways at 7L, eyebrows knitting together as though he were trying to remember something. “You...I’ve seen you…”

7L still felt tense. He kept expecting 2H to spring, but…

_ Analysis: Unit 2H is too severely damaged to engage combat systems. _

“What happened to you?”

2H pulled a face. “I don’t remember.”

They were quiet for a few moments more.

“Are you…” 7L swallowed. “Do you really have to die?”

Motor and combat processes seemed the most impaired, but they had spare components back at the base. 5C could help drag the big guy back there once he came out of recovery. It wasn’t impossible.

“I had to fragment my memories to keep the corruption out.”

2H lurched up into a sitting position, staring down at the rusting metal visible through the torn skin of his hands. 

“I can’t be anyone anymore. I don’t remember anything.”

“You remembered me,” 7L pointed out quietly.

“Just your face.” 2H chuckled bitterly. “I had to know who I was waiting for.”

“You—”

“Not sure how quickly I’d corrupt if I let those memories come back together. Maybe I’d have a few minutes before going completely berserk.” He shrugged against the floor. “It wouldn’t be me, who lived.”

“Thought you said you didn’t remember who you were,” 7L mumbled, watching 2H’s face resentfully. Bastard almost looked proud of himself.

“...You wouldn’t understand.”

“I’ll still listen.”

2H glanced down at him, eyes cold and bright as ever.

“Fragments can’t exist without having once been whole.” He sighed. “I don’t...what I want…”

7L waited.

“I don’t want to,” 2H said through clenched teeth. “Have to be—like this. Anymore.”

“Like what?”

“In pieces. I—I wouldn’t be like this. If I hadn’t been whole at some point. Neither would you.”

7L blinked, surprised. “I’m not—I’m not broken up, though.”

“You really still think that, don’t you?”

2H laughed harshly. 7L scowled as a flash of lightning illuminated the arena interior, momentarily casting sharp shadows across both their faces. He flinched at the thunderclap. Silly. Not like he didn’t know it was coming.

“Is there…” He hesitated. “Is there anything I can do for you?”

2H rolled his neck, considering. For some reason the motion sent a pang through 7L’s chest. 1H had been impossible to reach in his own way, but 2H seemed to speak across an even greater distance.

“I want...to remember. But you’ll have to...”

He dropped his eyes to the black sword lying a few feet away, expression twitching strangely.

_ I don’t want to _ , 7L wanted to say. The words caught in his throat, thick and stagnant.  _ I don’t want it. _

“Is that really what you want?”

“It is.”

_ I don’t want to. I don’t want to. _

“...All right.”

They stood facing each other as the rainfall began, tapping their shoulders lightly like the touch of a curious child. 7L clenched and unclenched his fist around the Skybreaker’s handle. He remembered reading something in the database about how humans’ palms used to sweat when they were nervous.

“You’re ready?”

“Are you?”

Heart in his throat, 7L nodded.

2H stared at the ground, unfocused eyes flicking from left to right. Suddenly, he staggered forward.

“2H—!”

One gloved hand was clamped around 7L’s shoulder like a vise. He had reached out to catch himself. 2H shook his head roughly.

Maybe it was a mistake, 7L thought, watching 2H’s face twist. Maybe it was too much, even for him. He shouldn’t have gone along with it if it was only going to—

“...”

2H shuddered.

“...Five…”

He raised his eyes, pupils now ringed with red light.

“...5L.”

“I’m here.”

7L answered without thinking. He hoped it was true.

2H’s hand tightened on his shoulder. “You have to do it.”

“I don’t want to.”

“I know.”

The sword felt cold and heavy in his hands. “You won’t even tell me why,” 7L said desperately. “There—you can’t—there has to be—”

“I’m asking. For your...” 2H grimaced, “...help.”

A frantic laugh escaped 7L. “It really is you.”

2H’s fingers dug deeper, tearing the fabric of his coat. 7L could feel his arm trembling. 

“Do it. Now.”

In the end, 7L could never turn away. Even when he closed his eyes, even when he couldn’t bear to look, he could never turn away.

And when 2H fell, 7L was there to catch him. 

“Wipe that look off your face,” 2H croaked.

7L looked down at him, watching the red light fade from his eyes. 

“...You ask for too much, ha̷̽̑͘r̶̋̊͂͝bi̶͗n̸ģ̷̣͉̩͋͊͠e̸̐r̷.”

The word distorted on his tongue. He closed his eyes against the sharp pain lancing through his skull.

_ Alert: Incompatible– _

“Not now,” 7L whispered. “Please.”

He sat there with 2H as the rain became a thunderstorm in earnest. The wind’s mournful howl reverberated through what remained of the arena. It made him think of an old music box.

_ Alert: Unit 2H has requested a data transfer. _

This time, 7L didn’t hesitate.

“Accept.”

_ Commencing system check. _

_ … _

_ Foreign encryption detected. _

_ Run de-encryption routine? _

_ \--RUN _

_ Running… _

_ … _

_ De-encrypted data is compatible with unit 7L. _

With his pod’s help, 7L brought 2H into one of the annexes. The floor had long since fallen through, and a cluster of cherry trees twisted stubbornly towards the sunlight provided by the glass ceiling.

_ Prunus serrulata, also called hill cherry or East Asian cherry, is a species of cherry native to China, Japan and Korea. Most commonly, the blossoms symbolize a celebration of new beginnings, though some Japanese interpretations lean more towards the transience of life, and trees that flower in the autumn or winter have widely been known to represent deception and false hope. _

False hope. 7L pressed his lips together, thinking of the orange-and-yellow leaves drifting from the other trees that lined the streets near the old hotel.

The nature of things was different, now, than it had been when they defined such things. Hope took a different form in a world left destroyed. They would understand, 7L thought, if they knew.

_ DO YOU WANT IT BACK? _

_ (YES/NO) _

  
  
  
  


_ \--YES _

_ Integrating… _

_ Memory unit: Green _

_ Initializing tactics log. _

_ Loading geographic data. _

_ Vitals: Green _

_ Black box temperature normal. _

_ Black box internal pressure normal.  _

_ Initializing pod connection… _

_ All core systems operational. _

“All right.” 

7L glanced up at the unmoving 2H.

“Show me what you know.”

_ <Database Entry: YorHa Unit 2L _

_ Class: L (Lexicon) _

_ Type: Database _

_ Current Status: Offline> _

_ <The dog is still small when 2L finds him. A child with paws too big for his body, cornered by a group of hostile machines. He isn’t sure why he feels it’s so important to save the dog. He thinks, staring into the flat red eyes of the machines, that they both bit off more than they could chew. _

_ His pod fires automatically, despite his lack of combat protocols, but it’s nowhere near enough to take out the larger ones. 2L wonders if he might die here. It doesn’t really bother him as much as the thought of the dog dying too. _

_ A black sword slices cleanly through the remaining machines. A combat model 2L hasn’t seen before kicks a detached head to the side and stares down at the dog now sniffing at his feet. _

_ “Thanks.” _

_ The android—a type-H, according to the scan—blinks slowly at him. He knows he has never seen a type-H before. There’s no record of it in his database. _

_ “Have we met?” _

_ Despite this, the face looks somehow familiar. _

_ The android continues staring at him. For a while it seems that he won’t answer at all. _

_ “...We haven’t.”> _

_ <“Why did you save that dog?” 2H asks him, speaking for the first time as they make their way back to the base. _

_ 2L hesitates. He grins. _

_ “Why did you save me?” _

_ 2H snaps his mouth shut and scowls. 2L laughs at him.> _

_ <The type-I training at the base is delighted to see the dog. _

_ “What are you gonna name him?” _

_ 6I bounces up and down on the balls of his feet. 2L thinks about it. _

_ “Lumen.” _

_ “Lumen?” _

_ “Means light or opening.” _

_ “That doesn’t sound like Chaos language.” _

_ “It isn’t. It’s Latin.” _

_ “What’s that?” _

_ “Old world language.” _

_ The dog christened Lumen wags his tail. _

_ “You can call him Lou if you want,” 7L amends.> _

_ <2H comes and goes, never really showing much interest in anything beyond his missions. Sometimes he comes back covered in machine oil, and sometimes he comes back so damaged it seems a miracle that he managed to return at all, but he always comes back. _

_ Over the next few months Lou doubles in size and finally begins to grow into his enormous paws. 6I likes to throw sticks for him by the river.  _

_ Sometimes 2H will speak to them for a minute or two before seeming to remember something and abruptly walking away mid-sentence. 2L still doesn’t know where he’s seen him before.> _

_ <The corrupted type-I finds them approximately six months after 2L took Lou home for the first time. She seems almost calm as she explains that she will keep killing until 2H comes out to talk to her. All the animals in the courtyard are frozen in place, even the enormous black dog crouched by the old fountain.  _

_ 2H calls her number 41. Something cracks open behind his eyes. 2L is hypnotized when 41I speaks, never having known a voice could hold so much pain. _

_ She asks 2H if he knows what happened to her, and he says that he does. She asks him if he had a reason, and he is silent for a long moment before replying that he doesn’t remember. Guilt isn’t what she wants to see, but it soaks him through like gasoline waiting for a match.  _

_ She is screaming something that comes across as radio static, the words twisting as soon as they leave her mouth. She is screaming and she is coming closer and 2H is just standing there, standing there and watching her come. _

_ Maybe it’s some kind of idiotic concept of penance, 2L thinks, as he throws himself in front of 2H. Almost selfish in a way, to think dying miserably could ever make anything right. _

_ CRACK! _

_ They fly back through the wall, landing on the lobby floor in a heap of rubble. When 2L manages to focus he sees 2H sitting on his heels, staring blankly at the ragged hole in 2L’s chest. _

_ “You can’t.” _

_ 2H looks up at his face, pale as death. _

_ “You can’t do this again.” _

_ Red text warning him of a catastrophic system failure scrolls across his field of vision. He wants to ask, but it seems that he has already lost the ability to speak. _

...What do you mean, “again”?>

_ <Database Entry: YorHa Unit 2L _

_ Class: L (Lexicon) _

_ Type: Database _

_ Current Status: Backup restored.> _

_ … _

_ … _

  
  
  


_ <Database Entry: YorHa Unit 3L _

_ Class: L (Lexicon) _

_ Type: Database _

_ Current Status: Offline> _

_ <3L has been stationed at the coastal base for three weeks when an unfamiliar combat model approaches him. He looks up expectantly to see a tall, dark-haired android holding a black sword. _

_ “You’re number three.” _

_ He blinks. “Sorry?” _

_ “Lexicon. 3L. That you?” _

_ “Oh. Yes, that’s—” _

_ “I need your help.” _

_ The combat model nearly spits it out, as if the words leave a bad taste in his mouth. He glares down at 3L as if it’s somehow his fault. _

_ 3L arches an eyebrow. “Help with what?” _

_ The database informs him that this is type-H, number two. _

_ “...Data reconstruction,” 2H says reluctantly.  _

_ “How do you know I can help?” 3L narrows his eyes. “We haven’t spoken before.” _

_ 2H stares at him for a while before snorting bitterly, his eyes cold and dark. _

_ “I am certain you’re the only one who can.”> _

_ <It takes 3L two minutes to figure out the data is corrupted. It takes him three hours until he can say with confidence that this unit data once belonged to a type-I, though it has been degraded into a nearly unreadable state. _

_ “Will you do it or not?” _

_ 3L turns around. 2H is standing in the corner of the room with his arms folded.  _

_ “Have you really been waiting around like that the whole time?” _

_ Combat models… _

_ “I asked you a question, lexicon.” _

_ The dagger lying on the table is covered in oil stains. Despite this, the metal underneath still gleams in the half-light of the abandoned bookstore. _

_ “I’ll have to work on the encryption first,” he says slowly. “Case like this it might be better to run some sub-routines in the background since it’s not like I can read anything in this state. Better to find a way to generate the keys automatically if we don’t want to lose our minds.” _

_ Alert: The likelihood of unit 3L becoming corrupted during this operation is currently fifty-three point two percent. _

_ Alert: The likelihood of unit 2H becoming corrupted during this operation is currently forty-seven point six percent. _

_ They look at their pods. They look at each other. 3L smiles. _

_ “I’ll do it.”> _

_ <“Who was she?” _

_ A strange look comes across 2H’s face. He opens his mouth and closes it a few times before shaking his head. _

_ “It doesn’t matter.” _

_ 3L checks the screens again. About one-third of the interpreter’s data is in a readable state. _

_ “Your new friend looks happy,” 2H mutters. _

_ 3L glances down at the enormous dog asleep in his lap. Or, to be more accurate, the dog’s head was resting in his lap. The rest of it wouldn’t fit. _

_ “He doesn’t seem to want to leave.” 3L shrugs. “I like having him around.” _

_ The dog had simply trotted into the bookstore one day. He wagged his tail so hard upon first seeing 3L that he knocked an entire row of books off the shelf. _

_ “I think I should name him, at this—” _

_ “Lumen.” _

_ 3L turns, caught off guard by the sudden vehemence in 2H’s voice. _

_ “Lumen?” _

_ “That—Italian word. Means light—” _

_ “—light or opening, I know. And it’s Latin, not Italian.” He scratches the dog between the ears, hand disappearing in the thick fur. “It’s not bad. Could call him Lou. You like it?” _

_ Lou kicks at the floor in his sleep, and 3L catches the ghost of a smile flashing across 2H’s face before he can turn away.> _

_ <2H begins accompanying 3L on the latter’s data collection missions, stating only that he doesn’t want him getting anything wiped before the reconstruction is finished. 3L does have to admit that having an armored six foot tall combat model around tends to make things easier.  _

_ 3L knows 2H is going to the machine colosseums. He disappears for hours without telling anyone where he’s going, staggering back with a strange light in his eyes. Like all the combat models, 2H gets restless when he goes too long without tearing something apart.  _

_ One day 3L hears a loud crash from the front of the bookstore and tears around the corner to find 2H half-collapsed on the floor. They look at each other. 3L eyes the damage to 2H’s sides and the exposed circuitry on his shoulders.  _

_ The strange thing, though, is that 2H is almost smiling. _

_ 3L sighs. _

_ “Come on,” he says. “Can’t go back to base like that. They’ll talk.” _

_ 2H winces and then he laughs, so quietly 3L could have imagined it. _

_ “Thank you, 3L.”> _

_ <“Explain again.” _

_ “It’s her central processor. The data itself is restored, but…”  _

_ 3L rubs his eyes, frustrated. “It’s the way she perceives—experienced time. Something is wrong with the—if we put this core in a new body then it’ll just start having hours that feel like weeks and weeks that feel like years again. It’d drive anyone insane. It will…” _

_ His voice trails off when he sees the look on 2H’s face. _

_ “So it was…” _

_ 2H sits down heavily. He rests his head in his hands. _

_ “It was all for nothing.” _

_ “No.” _

_ He raises his head, his expression dangerous. “No?” _

_ “We can partition it.” _

_ 3L is gazing up at the display, where lines and lines of incomprehensible text continue to scroll, seemingly endlessly. Only someone who had lived an obscene amount of time could turn their own nature into something like this. _

_ “She won’t remember who she is,” he continues, carefully, watching 2H’s eyes. “But she’ll be living as herself.” _

_ 2H stares at him. He opens his mouth to say something and then seems to think better of it, twisting around in the chair to look at the display. _

_ “You really think that’s enough?” _

_ His fists are clenched, white-knuckled in his lap. _

_ “If she doesn’t remember...can you even call her the same person?” _

_ “If her personality was created by the course of her life, then who she is remains the record of what happened. She’s still the sum of her past even if her past is lost to her.” _

_ It’s almost as if someone else is using his lips to speak. 3L presses the back of his hand against his mouth, surprised. 2H blows the air out through his teeth. _

_ “Do it.” _

_ He stalks out of the room before 3L can respond.> _

_ <They call her 3I. She is excellent with the animals. She loves Lou, and she loves the squirrels that inexplicably follow her around. There’s a melancholy to her sometimes, but she smiles easily too. At first 2H is deeply wary of her. About two months pass before even he starts smiling when she uses her squirrels to make a point during her arguments with 6I. _

_ Sometimes 3L finds himself staring at her for a long time without knowing why. Sometimes, in dark rooms, 3L thinks he can see a soft red light behind his own eyes.> _

_ <Eventually, 2H starts coming back from the colosseum looking worse and worse. 3L thinks it was inevitable for something like this to happen. It’s been a miracle that the networks tolerated such one-sided fights for so long in the first place. Maybe the spectators have been enjoying watching him mow down the opposition. _

_ Of course, even machines get tired of heroes, after a while. _

_ Even so, it’s still 2H. He almost seems to enjoy the added challenge. It isn’t until he comes back with half his side torn out that 3L decides to follow him down the next time. _

_ To the machines, he appears only as a medium-sized biped. It isn’t that he wouldn’t have been allowed inside as an android; rather, they would certainly alert 2H to his presence, which is precisely what he doesn’t want. _

_ For a few rounds he watches from the audience with the “other” machines. As always, he is impressed with 2H. Even for a combat model, he fights magnificently. It’s a little funny to watch the network avatars responsible for setting up the matches grow increasingly frustrated. _

_ 2H is grinning with blood on his lips. 3L can almost understand why he does it. 3L wishes there were an easier way for him to be happy. _

_ He realizes, for the first time, that he finds 2H to be very beautiful. There hadn’t been reason to think about it before. There isn’t really a reason now, but he thinks it all the same. _

_ It isn’t until the fourth round that 2H begins faltering. He lasted for a remarkably long time, 3L thinks, watching him slice off a goliath’s arm despite one of his own hanging uselessly at his side. He wins the match, barely, but he is wounded now. 3L glances up at the cutter goliaths being prepared for the next round. Without a doubt, the next android to enter this ring would fall. _

_ 2H staggers out of the ring with a familiar expression on his face. He looks down at his hands. When 3L jumps over the low wall to land lightly at his side, his eyes go wide. _

_ “That was really something,” 3L tells him. _

_ “Get out of here.” _

_ “Soon.” He glances towards the ring, at the cutters now taking their places around the edges. The fluorescent light glancing off their blades reminds him of some long-forgotten tragedy. _

_ It occurs to him that 3I might not be the only product of a lost history. _

_ “COMPETITOR 2H, ENTER THE RING.” _

_ 2H scowls and starts forward only to hiss in pain when 3L pushes him back by the injured shoulder. _

_ 3L grins. “Keep an eye on Lou and 3I till I get back.” _

_ Confusion turns into fury. “You—!” _

_ It’s trivial to modify the cloaking protocols so that he takes on the appearance of 2H. The real 2H, who no longer has the energy to do anything but watch, is seething.  _

_ 3L looks around at the spectators. He looks at the goliaths. He looks at the avatar. One he hasn’t seen before, from the Eden network. The avatar looks smug, certain of a victory that has been snatched out from under his nose. _

_ He smiles again. _

_ “I am 2H.”> _

_ <Database Entry: YorHa Unit 3L _

_ Class: L (Lexicon) _

_ Type: Database _

_ Current Status: Backup restored.> _

_ … _

_ … _

  
  
  


_ <Database Entry: YorHa Unit 4L _

_ Class: L (Lexicon) _

_ Type: Database _

_ Current Status: Offline> _

_ <4L is happy, most of the time. He likes the two young interpreters and the large dog 3I calls Lou. They seem to like him too, flinging themselves at him and tugging on his sleeves whenever he returns from his data collections. Sometimes Lou knocks him over, but he doesn’t really mind. _

_ The field team’s leader is the brusque type-H, number two. They are accompanied by panacea number four, guardian number nineteen, and retaliator number twelve. 4L even finds himself developing a strange sort of affection for 22F, the snippy command unit who sends their orders down from the bunker. _

_ They are tasked with a survey of the continent formerly known as South Korea. They pull it off with no casualties. Not even the dog.> _

_ <Sometimes 4L thinks he hears a song he knows. It comes from the ring of wind on collapsing metal, or the dry rustling of autumn leaves, or the way 6I kicks at pebbles when he walks. He hears 2H humming it to himself, once, as he polishes his black sword in the ruins of a Seoul subway system. 2H doesn’t seem to realize he’s doing it. _

_ 4L says nothing, but he listens for a while, and then he leaves to scan some of the old trains. He figures that 2H deserves his peace.> _

_ <4P is kind, and an excellent medic. 12R and 19G are extraordinary attack and defense units, respectively, though they seem to get easily embarrassed around each other. The interpreters giggle about this together when they think no one can hear. It’s harmless, for the most part, so 4L lets them.> _

_ <They arrive at the ocean, or as close to the ocean as they can be without unnecessary risk. 4P warns the children not to go near the salt water. 3I, ever in search of loopholes, sits on the rocks with a group of seals and introduces them each individually to Lou. _

_ 4L looks at the water and he thinks about death. He has been thinking about death for a while now. He looks at the small red letters flashing in the upper right corner of his vision. _

_ CORRUPTION LEVEL: 67% _

_ He has seen what happens to corrupted units. More specifically, he has seen what happens to their companions. He watches 12R chase 6I across the grass. He makes up his mind.> _

_ <22F is silent for a long time. He holds his breath, waiting for her to ask why. _

_ “I’ll reinstate them if that’s what you want.” _

_ He blinks, taken aback. _

_ “It’ll take about thirty minutes before you have full access to the self-destruct function, though,” she says in a flat voice. _

_ “...Thank you.” _

_ “4L.” _

_ “Yes?” _

_ She hesitates. 4L wonders what she knows. _

_ “I’ve backed up some of your personal data.” _

_ “Isn’t that against—” _

_ “Naturally.”  _

_ 22F chuckles before abruptly becoming serious again.  _

_ “That’s to say that I really hope you know what you’re doing. Got it?” _

_ 4L doesn’t know what to say. He didn’t even think 22F liked him that much. _

_ “I hope so, too,” he murmurs at last.  _

_ He cuts the line.> _

_ <2H is polishing his sword again when 4L stands to leave. He speaks without looking up, at first. _

_ “Lexicon.” _

_ 4L looks down at him. 2H’s fists are clenched so tightly they tremble. _

_ “You had better come back.” _

_ 4L can see a red gleam in 2H’s eyes, and he panics for a moment before realizing it is nothing but the reflection of his own.  _

_ CORRUPTION LEVEL: 83% _

_ “I’ll come back,” he says, and he means it.  _

_ “I promise.”> _

_ <Whether out of spite or curiosity or something else entirely, 4L always maintained that he wanted to know what seawater felt like. The explosion comes from the ocean a few hours later. 22F logs the sensory data down to the last second, mumbling to herself through gritted teeth. _

_ “You pull something like this,” she mutters, “you won’t get away with forgetting how it feels.”> _

_ <Database Entry: YorHa Unit 4L _

_ Class: L (Lexicon) _

_ Type: Database _

_ Current Status: Backup restored.> _

_ … _

_ Memory data successfully integrated. _

7L came back to himself with a gasp. He had a sharp pain in his side, as if he had been running for hours, and condensation from the grass soaked the sleeves of his coat. Dazed, he stared up at 2H, now covered in fallen cherry blossoms. 

_ You had better come back. _

“Sorry it took so long.”

He winced a little. 22F really had logged everything. 7L was probably the only android alive who knew exactly how it felt to self-destruct in the ocean. He wasn’t certain whether he should be proud or rueful.

“Scan the sword,” he told the pod.

_ Scanning… _

_ Database entry: Skybreaker _

_ Type: Core System  _

_ Plug-in chips: Evasive System, Vengeance (+1) _

_ To Level 3: Type-H OS Chip (2/3) _

To level three. He exhaled slowly. Just below the level one weapon story, a new entry had appeared.

_ Weapon Story Lvl. 2 _

_ There was once an android who, despite being a fool and often a liar, always kept his promises.  _

_ The android sacrificed himself over and over. He never asked whether or not that was what his companions wanted. _

_ But he promised to always come back. _

7L returned to find 5C upright and studiously bandaging the torn skin on his left hand. He glanced up with disinterest when he heard 7L approach.

“You were gone for a while.”

“You cut off your recovery time.”

“I didn’t.”

He blinked. “What?”

“You’ve been gone for nineteen hours,” 5C said evenly.

“...Oh.”

A slightly awkward silence fell over the two.

“How are you feeling?” 7L ventured, after a moment.

“Thought you could check that.”

_ Database entry: YorHa Unit 5C.  _

_ Type: C (Champion) _

_ Class: Combat _

_ Current status: All systems online. Slight operational abnormalities due to effects of physical trauma.  _

7L sighed. “Well, you’ll still have to have 4P check it out when we get back.”

“I’m fine.”

“You were fine last time too.”

5C frowned, but 7L was no longer paying attention. He was busy burying his face in the dog’s wet fur. The dog frantically wagged his tail. 7L felt like he might cry.

It smelled awful.

“I know his name,” he told 5C, who arched one eyebrow in response. “It’s Lou.”

“Lou?”

“Short for Lumen.”

5C narrowed his eyes suspiciously. “That Italian?”

A surprised laugh escaped 7L. He stared up at his companion. For a moment, he thought he saw someone else’s face.

“It’s Latin for light.”

He got to his feet, a little clumsily. Turned out absorbing three life cycles’ worth of memories at once was a fairly disorienting process.

“Where are you going?” 5C demanded.

“You’re coming too.”

“Why?”

Lou barked happily. 7L grinned.

“I want to show you something.”

  
  


An hour later, he watched 5C walk slowly towards the center of the old ice rink. He seemed almost hesitant, like he expected the floor to crack open and swallow both of them whole. But the arena was silent; they were alone with the damp concrete, and the airy smell of cherry trees.

“What...was this?”

5C stared up at the collapsed ceiling. Sunlight crept through the dispersing clouds.

“It used to be...uh, the floor used to be ice.”

“Ice?”

“Yeah. They had—dance competitions, sort of. On it.”

He snorted. “...They were absurd, weren’t they?”

“Sometimes.” 7L looked out at the bleachers. He couldn’t imagine what it would be like to cram so many lives into a space so small. Like the abandoned town, he could generate any number of false images, if he wanted to see what this place looked like full of people. But…

Lou whined. 7L smiled. 

Why had he come here, if only to cling to someone else’s past?

“I do think it takes an impressive amount of creativity to come up with something so strange.” He shrugged. “I can only admire them when I think about it that way.”

“I suppose you’d have a great deal of admiration for your own creator if that’s how you see it.”

“The—” 7L paused. He scowled. “Very funny.”

A gust of wind blew a spray of cherry blossoms through the entry to the annex. 7L’s gaze lingered on the flowers.

“You would have been able to see the stars from here,” he said.

5C raised his head slightly, remaining silent.

“The light pollution from the city would’ve been too bad to really see the constellations, but...they still would’ve been there, you know? Even if the sky was so bright they were drowned out.”

“And I presume you bother knowing about something you’ll never see?”

7L chuckled softly. “I’m a database. I don’t exactly have a choice.”

“Hm.”

5C’s eyes rested on the small stain near the center of the floor. Oil and blood. His expression grew pinched.

“But,” 7L continued, “assuming I did have a choice...if I know where they are, I can look at them even if I can’t see them. So I’d still choose it.”

They were quiet, for a while, listening to the wind and the creaking metal. Eventually 7L began to speak. First he pointed out the constellation Leo, then Gemini and Auriga, overlaying the old star map over the destroyed ceiling so that 5C would know where to look. At first 5C seemed taken aback. 7L half expected him to walk away without another word, but he only stood very still, staring at the too-bright sky, watching all the stars he couldn’t see.

  
  


When they finally returned to the base, it was 3I who came barreling through the front gate to greet them. 7L watched her approach as something warm rose at the back of his throat.

“Number seven!”

He caught her easily with a laugh. “You take care of everyone?”

“She called a deer in and it almost knocked down the whole wall,” 6I grumbled.

3I pulled a face. “But he  _ didn’t  _ knock the wall down.”

“He?” 7L raised an eyebrow. “New pet?”

“He’s not my pet!” 3I smacked his shoulder indignantly. “He’s my friend!”

“Sorry—ow, sorry!”

4P, who was watching from the entrance, looked 5C over critically. He frowned.

“He got his whole chest ripped open,” 7L said helpfully. “We got him into recovery fast enough to repair the core but I’m not a medical unit. Don’t let him run away.”

She nodded seriously. “You. With me.”

The grumbling 5C was dragged away, glaring back at 7L as if he had been betrayed. 7L grinned back brightly. 6I watched them go with a look of mild alarm.

“Is he okay…?”

“He’s fine. He’s just an idiot.”

3I giggled. “I’m gonna tell him you said that.”

“I’ve already told him, but feel free to do so again.”

He moved to set her down, but found it temporarily impossible to let go. 3I looked at him strangely. 

“7L?”

7L hugged her as tightly as he could. He was making up for lost time, after all.

“I’m just…”

He swallowed. He smiled.

“I’m very happy to see you, number three.”

**Author's Note:**

> Honestly I just wanted to create YorHa types for the ORV cast and then I got carried away. Hopefully it's comprehensible even if you haven't played Nier. Always love reading & responding to comments so if you have anything to say don't be shy about it — & as always, thank you for reading <3


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